


feeling this

by houseofmemoriess



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Fluff fluff and more fluff, M/M, actor jinyoung, amerithaikong plus yug are in a band, jaebum is also an actor, where in the world is youngjae?? uhh apparently not here lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-03-30 23:27:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 132,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13962384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/houseofmemoriess/pseuds/houseofmemoriess
Summary: a story of how two celebrities fall in love and then get found out by fansJinyoung is a famous hollywood actor and Mark plays in a popular band, how does their love story begin?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write about markjin getting found out for like, ever. And I had already been planning an actor jinyoung fic so this just went together so well!! plus bandom is my other fandom so it was really cute putting Mark into a poppunk band, I listened to a lot of blink-182 while writing this lol ([which is actually where the title came from](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU8KMut3SUE).
> 
> ps. if you notice the hair color change it's because mark _had_ blonde hair and will eventually get red hair ♡

buzz buzz buzz

Mark groaned and flipped over, away from the obtrusive noise. He felt his boyfriend’s arms tighten around him instinctively and Mark snuggled further into Jinyoung’s side. Mark ignored the sound again, drifting back into sleep.

buzz buzz buzz

Eyes snapping open, Mark’s jaw squared. Who was calling him at this hour? Wait, what hour was it? He didn’t have band practice, did he? Groaning again, Mark pulled out of Jinyoung’s arms and reached for the bedside table where his phone was. It was Thursday, right? Mark’s sleep heavy mind attempted to think of what anyone could possibly be calling him for. 

He saw the caller id and his eyes widened. It was his manager. Did they have a meeting with the label? Mark answered and his manager’s voice was immediately yelling through the phone, “Why the fuck aren’t you answering your phone?”

Groggily, Mark sat up and rubbed his eye and said, “It’s Thursday, I was sleeping in.”

“I’ve called you at least 20 times!” His manager’s voice was so loud that Mark had to move the phone away from his ear. He heard his manager take a deep breath and then say, “Listen, this isn’t a lesire call, okay? The fans found out.”

Mark stared at the painting on Jinyoung’s wall, confused. And then he joked, “What? Did Jackson and Bambam go to a movie high again?”

He laughed to himself, remembering how hard his bandmates were trying to act like they weren’t stoned out of their minds as fans asked for photos in the movie theater. 

But his laughter was cut short when Mark’s manager said, “No. They know about you and Jinyoung.”

The redhead’s stomach dropped. He felt Jinyoung’s face rubbing into his bare shoulder and an arm wrapping itself lazily around his torso. “W-What? They know? Like about--?”

“Yes,” Came his manager’s resolute reply. “The label wants you here in an hour to discuss your options.”

“In an hour?” Mark asked disbelieving. “But it takes almost an hour just to drive there!”

He heard the click of his manager’s tongue as Mark pulled the sheets away and got out of bed, gathering his clothes from the floor. “I know. If you would have answered 30 minutes ago when I first called, you would have been able to shower. But now you have to meet with the CEO smelling like sex.”

Mark narrowed his eyes at his manager’s patronizing tone. He fucked up, Mark understood that but his manager didn’t have to be this mean this early in the morning. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be there at fast as I can.”

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Jinyoung called from the bed as Mark frantically pulled a shirt over his head.

 

6 Months Earlier

“Tell me again why I’m going to this?” Jinyoung said playing with the hem of his button down. He looked out the window. It was the same thing he saw everyday: cars, cars and more cars. LA traffic was the worst. He spent most of his days in cars or on set. But now he was being brought to a nightclub. Jinyoung just wanted to go home.

“Because you’re a hot actor and people want to know what you do on your freetime,” His manager, Alex, was telling him. Jinyoung rolled his eyes, this was not was he did in his free time. He didn’t care about getting blackout drunk and coming home with some random guy. He’d rather do anything but that. “Plus this will be good for that part you haven’t been able to nail.”

Jinyoung sighed. He knew Alex was right about that at least. His newest part was this nightclub fiend who seduced women all over the world. It wasn’t exactly what he would have chosen for himself but his booking agent thought he needed to be shown to a wider audience. 

“And you just need to get laid, you’re too uptight these days,” Alex rattled off. He glanced over to Jinyoung to see if he hit a nerve. Jinyoung only rolled his eyes. “I don’t care who you bring home tonight, but I’m not letting you leave until you take someone with you.”

And so that’s how Jinyoung ended up sitting at some fancy bar alone, swirling the pirate’s sword that used to hold olives around with his finger aimlessly. He was bored out of his mind. Quite a few actresses had come up to Jinyoung but he made up some excuse to be left alone. Some of the other actors he’d worked with chatted him up but Jinyoung wasn’t interested in them so he let them leave when the conversation went dry. 

He felt the stare of his manager from the corner booth piercing into the back of his head. Jinyoung sighed again. At this point he was almost willing to walk out with anyone who came up to him next, tell them he didn’t feel good and then sneakily go home alone. Then the next day he would fake some great sexcapade and hopefully get Alex off his back.

But no one came over. Jinyoung cursed himself for being so rude to those actresses. They probably told their friends and that was why no one had approached him in the last 20 minutes. The party was for some famous actress. Everyone on the guest list were B if not A list actors or models. Jinyoung knew almost everyone in the room but he really didn’t feel like talking to them. Maybe if it was under some different circumstances, he would have.

“Hi,” He heard to his right. Some blonde guy with sharp cheekbones and a jawline to kill sat with a sly smile. “Buy me a drink?”

Jinyoung felt his eyes wander across this guy’s body. What he was wearing certainly was not up to the dress code. He wore ripped black skinny jeans, vans and white button down with only half of it tucked in. Who was this guy? How did he get in?

“And why would I do that?” Jinyoung heard himself asking.

The guy raised an eyebrow, looking unphased. “Because you think I’m cute.”

He sounded self-assured and Jinyoung had to hand it to the guy, he had guts. And he was pretty cute. The blonde wasn’t wrong about that. “Even if I did, what makes you think I’ll buy you a drink?”

The guy’s smile turned into a smirk as he said, “Because if you weren’t going to, you’d shoo me away like all those other pretty girls.”

Jinyoung considered this. The guy, Mystery Man as Jinyoung called him in his head, was probably correct again. With Jinyoung’s thoughtful silence, Mystery Man smiled smugly. “See? I’m right.”

“Fine,” Jinyoung folded. He turned to the bartender and said, “Whatever he wants.”

Mystery Man smiled for the first time with teeth, victoriously. “One strawberry daiquiri please.”

The bartender nodded and turned to grab the right liquor. Mystery Man raised his arm to lean his elbow on the counter and then glanced over to Jinyoung, catching Jinyoung checking him out again. He smirked. 

Almost laughing outright as the bartender handed the guy his drink and Jinyoung saw the sugary concoction, Jinyoung asked “A strawberry daiquiri?”

“Yep,” The blonde said, bringing the straw to his lips and then looking at Jinyoung through his lashes. “How else would you know I’m gay?”

Jinyoung’s eyes widened at the man’s bluntness. And then an amused smile settled on his lips. “Definitely not by the fact that you just asked another man to buy you a drink.”

Shrugging as he picked the picked the strawberry off the side of his glass, Mystery Man said, “It could have been a friendly gesture.”

“Sure,” Jinyoung said, turning to the bartender to ask for another martini. Out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw the blonde smiling. But when he turned back, Mystery Man was merely looking at his drink. 

“So, why did you turn all those girls down?” The blonde questioned, holding his drink in front of him, using his straw to stir the pink liquid. At the last word, his eyes lifted to meet Jinyoung’s. His expression was almost disinterested, but his question suggested otherwise. 

Jinyoung tilted his head. Who did this guy think he was? “Maybe I just didn’t feel like talking to anyone.”

“But you’re talking to me,” Mystery Man said. And he was right again. Jinyoung shifted in his seat. He should have turned this guy away like everyone else, but something was stopping him. 

“You even turned those hot actors away,” Mystery Man stated, keeping his eyes on the drink in his hand. His body was facing Jinyoung but he seemed shier to ask this question. Which Jinyoung found weird. Everything thus far from this guy had exuded confidence. 

“Maybe they weren’t my type,” Jinyoung said and the blonde smiled, apparently satisfied with that answer.

“So you do like guys,” Mystery Man said cooly, a twinkle of something shining in his eyes. 

This confused Jinyoung. “I thought you already figured that out for yourself.”

The blonde set his drink on the counter and propped his arm up, resting his chin on the back of his hand. Jinyoung’s eyes got pulled to the low arch of Mystery Man’s back. He seemed to have a slim frame, and he worked it well. “I did, I just had to make sure. And if that didn’t tell me you were gay, then the fact that you just checked me out for the third time since I sat down would have.”

“Of course you noticed that,” Jinyoung said, not even embarrassed by getting caught, just entertained. 

A smirk pulled at Mystery Man’s lips and he said, “I’m offended you didn’t think I’d notice.”

Jinyoung raised an eyebrow and said, “I’m offended that you got a free drink out of me and haven’t even told me your name.”

He saw a spark of something in the blonde’s eyes and then watched as Mystery Man tilted is head in his hand. “Did you want to know it?”

“Why else would I have asked?” Jinyoung said, turning away to bring his martini to his lips. The blonde smiled again and somehow Jinyoung felt like he was feeding into this guy’s plan.

“I’ll tell you on one condition.”

Jinyoung’s eyes shifted over to meet the blonde’s coy ones. “And what’s that?”

With his question, he saw the guy before him’s confidence falter. He swore there was a flicker of doubt across his features before Mystery Man’s face composed itself and he slyly said, “Take me home with you.”

Jinyoung almost spit out his drink. “And what makes you think I would do that?”

“The fact that you haven’t said no,” Was the quick response. 

Sighing at the guy being right again, Jinyoung weighed his options. Mystery Man was hot, no doubt about that, and if Jinyoung had to take someone home, he wouldn’t mind this guy that much. As he gulped down the rest of his drink, Jinyoung decided, “Fine, let’s get out of here.”

He could feel Alex’s grin beaming into his back as Jinyoung got up and walked Mystery Man to the door of the club. Jinyoung got a text from his manager that said, “Car waiting outside.” And shook his head. He wondered if Alex called the car only since the blonde sat next to him or since the moment they got to the club. He figured it didn’t matter either way as Jinyoung opened the door of the sleek luxury car for Mystery Man to step through. 

Jinyoung got in after him and for the first time, the blonde looked out of place. Like he didn’t know what words to say. “Do you live alone?”

Jinyoung was surprised by this question. Crossing his legs, he answered, “If you’re asking if I had some secret girlfriend at home, I don’t.”

The blonde looked caught off guard, “I wasn’t asking that. And anyways, we already established that you’re gay.”

Playing along with this guy’s games, Jinyoung said with a smirk, “Technically you only know I like men, not that I’m gay.”

This piqued Mystery Man’s interest, his eyes going wide. “You’re bi or pan then?”

Jinyoung grinned, “No, I am gay. Just wanted to fuck with you.”

He laughed to himself as Mystery Man lips turned into a pout, clearly not liking the game being played without him knowing. 

“So,” Jinyoung started, looking out the window. “You got what you wanted, I’m taking you home. What’s your name?”

But the blonde only clicked his tongue, “I said you had to take me home and as far as I know, the famous Park Jinyoung does not live in the back of a bmw so therefore I don’t have to tell you anything yet.”

Sighing at the wait, Jinyoung said, “Don’t you think it’s unfair that you know my name and I don’t know yours?”

Mystery Man laughed, “As if anyone could meet you and not know your name.”

“You flatter me,” Jinyoung deadpanned. “When will I know your name?”

The blonde stared into his eyes, seemingly in thought. “Once I’m in your bed.”

Jinyoung smirked at the brashness and had to look away, licking his teeth with his tongue behind his lips. “You’re ambitious.”

Next to him, he heard, “Was that not where you planned on taking me?”

Turning back to the blonde, Jinyoung only raised an eyebrow in response. 

 

Once their driver pulled up to Jinyoung’s building, they got out. His doorman greeted him on the way inside, “Mr. Park.”

“Hi, Charles.”

Mystery Man walked beside him and smiled, “Good evening, Charles.”

Jinyoung didn’t even pretend to not look surprised as the blonde had a wide, amused smile on his face. They took the elevator up. Jinyoung had to punch in his code to get to his floor. The doors opened to his foyer, decorated only by a plant next to the front door that Alex made him buy.

“A penthouse?” Mystery Man said as they walked into the vast space. The walls the farthest from them were not walls at all, but panes of glass that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. One could see the whole city skyline from there. The interior was modern, sleek. But also horribly under furnished. Jinyoung simply didn’t care. The only part of his living space that he actually did care about was that he had a comfy couch and an even more comfortable bed. 

“You act surprised,” Jinyoung commented, toeing out of his shoes and moving on into the room. He passed the kitchen and Mystery Man followed. “I guess I was expecting some big, luxurious mansion.” 

They continued to a hallway where large art pieces were hanging on the wall, Mystery Man stopped and looked at one of them. Jinyoung paused to, moving to stand next to him, looking at a painting he forgot the name of. “You like art?”

Jinyoung shrugged. “Not really.”

“Me either,” The guy confessed. 

Jinyoung nodded understandingly, and continued with, “My manager thought I should have a hobby and my friend Jaebum suggested I collect art.”

He said it with a nonchalant tone. He only bought them because he liked the colors. The paintings probably didn’t even look good next to each other. Jinyoung imagined an art expert being appalled by the periods and styles that he probably mixed poorly throughout his home. 

“Jaebum? As in Im Jaebum?” Mystery Man asked, looking surprised. 

Of course the blonde would pick up on that. There had to be a million Jaebum’s in the world but only a few super famous ones. Jinyoung decided to tease him. “What? Do you know him?”

Mystery Man’s eyes widened and he said, “I mean like, not really.”

Just to shake him up a bit, Jinyoung said, “Oh? So just like a hook up then?” He pretended to give the blonde a grueling once over and said, “Weird, you don’t seem his type. But then again you aren’t mine either.”

This seem to have hit a chord with the blonde as he opened his mouth and then closed it, eyes still wide. “Then why am I here?”

“Who knows, but I think we’re looking at my art collection right now,” Jinyoung said, fully entertained by Mystery Man’s change in demeanor. 

The blonde looked from him, with his mouth opening to say something and then forced himself to look away. He stared at the painting in thought, as if he was hoping it would keep his attention and then reluctantly turned back to Jinyoung. He hesitantly asked, “Then what is your type?”

Jinyoung wasn’t expecting that question. He had brought it up but he didn’t think that this guy would actually ask. He pondered for a second, staring at the strokes of blue in the painting in front of him. “Someone kind. Someone who doesn’t need my help but lets me take care of them anyways. Someone who I can take to an art museum.”

The last one had Mystery Man furrowing his brows, “But I thought you said you didn’t like art?”

With a quirk of a smile, Jinyoung said, taking the blonde’s hand and leading him to the bedroom. “I don’t. But my ideal type would somehow make me want to be there with him.”

“And you don’t think that’s me?” Even though the guy hid it well, Jinyoung could hear the slight hurt in his voice. 

He looked back, curious, “If I asked you to a museum date, would you say yes?”

“Depends.”

Jinyoung furrowed his eyebrows, “On what?”

“On how good the sex is,” Mystery Man said with a smirk and Jinyoung laughed out loud. 

“Fair. If the sex isn’t good, then what’s the point?” Jinyoung agreed. 

As soon as they entered the room, Jinyoung’s lips were on his. Mystery Man wrapped his arms around Jinyoung’s neck and Jinyoung picked him up and laid him down on the bed, climbing on top of him. 

It didn’t take long before the blonde’s hands were feeling over his shirt, finding the buttons without seeing them and then started unbuttoning them one by one. Jinyoung let him and even found himself doing the same. Once Jinyoung’s shirt was open and falling over Mystery Man’s chest, the blonde slid his hand up to Jinyoung’s shoulder, tugging off the material. Jinyoung shrugged the shirt off in one motion and Mystery Man arched his back, allowing for Jinyoung to get his shirt off too. 

Leaving the blonde’s lips, Jinyoung’s traveled down his jaw and under his ear. He whispered, “Do I finally get to know your name?”

His hand had already worked at undoing the guy’s zipper and was sliding over the blonde’s boxers. 

“Mark.”

Palming over Mystery Man’s Mark’s cock, Jinyoung laughed into Mark’s neck, “Just Mark?”

“I’ll tell you my full name in the morning,” The blonde said, his hands tracing the muscles of Jinyoung’s back.

Biting into the pale skin of Mark’s neck, Jinyoung earned a soft moan. “And you’re assuming you’re staying over?”

“I’ve been right so far, haven’t I?” Came the cocky response. And even if it made Jinyoung mad, the guy wasn’t wrong. 

As Jinyoung kissed down Mark’s neck to his collarbone and pulled down Mark’s pants and boxers, he said, “I was going to let you sleep over anyways.”

It took him a moment as he reached over to pull lube out of his drawer to realize what he just said. After he coated his fingers and brushed his fingers over Mark’s hole, Jinyoung went back to kissing him. As their lips pressed together, Jinyoung thought how weird it was that he was completely fine with Mark staying over. But as one of his fingers slipped in and he felt Mark’s arms tighten around his neck, Jinyoung’s predicament was forgotten. 

Three fingers later, Mark was bucking up against him every time Jinyoung hit his prostate. As it turned out, Mark had a mouth on him. Jinyoung couldn’t even count the number of times he heard, fuck shit fuck being moaned into his shoulder as Jinyoung kissed his neck. After thrusting his fingers in at a particular angle and hearing Mark’s loud moan, Jinyoung decided to pull back and look through his drawer again.

Mark was eyeing him heavily as Jinyoung came back and positioned himself between his thighs. 

“You good?” Jinyoung asked leaning over him and cupping Mark’s jaw. The blonde nodded and said, “Yes, oh my god.”

And that was enough consent for Jinyoung as he pushed in and brought his lips back to Mark’s kissing him with the same tone as his hips were setting. It wasn’t long before Mark’s arms were across Jinyoung’s back, scratching into his skin. He smiled into Mark’s mouth and lifted his hip off the bed to get a better angle. Jinyoung felt the reaction immediately with nails digging into his skin. 

He left Mark’s lips and moved down to his neck, kissing the skin delicately before introducing his teeth. Mark’s moans only got louder, echoing off the high ceiling. “Shit oh my god, right there.”

Jinyoung held his tongue from saying something. That was the moment he usually would but something about Mark made him hold off. Next time he found himself thinking. Jinyoung blinked. Next time? But then Mark dug his nails in again and Jinyoung got distracted.

His hips slammed in faster and Mark’s arms tightened, holding Jinyoung tighter to his chest. He could feel Mark’s breath against his shoulder and kissed open mouthed kisses against Mark’s neck. It wasn’t long before Jinyoung heard, “Fuck, I’m close.”

He smiled and breathed, “Me too.”

Jinyoung thrusted into him harder as he wrapped his hand around Mark’s cock, stroking him fast to the same timing as his hips. 

“Shit shit shit---” And Mark was cumming. Jinyoung fucked him through his orgasm with shaky thrusts, eventually finishing as well. 

 

“Yes,” Mark said in the still air, nothing but heavy breathing was filling the room. Jinyoung glanced over, “Yes what?”

Mark turned his head and smiled, “Yes, I’ll go on a museum date with you.”

With a quirk of his brow, Jinyoung teased, “Who said I was still interested after that performance?”

He watched as Mark’s lips parted unconsciously, obviously surprised by the response he got. Jinyoung grinned to show he was just joking and then said, “How’s tuesday?”

The blonde pursed his lips and thought for a second too long, “Hm, I don’t know. I’ll have to look at my schedule...”

Rolling his eyes, Jinyoung pulled Mark closer to him. “I thought all this playing hard to get would stop once I fucked you.”

Mark faked offense and said, “A guy’s gotta keep your interest somehow.”

Leaning in, Jinyoung whispered, “I thought you were smart enough to know that if I wasn’t interested, you wouldn’t still be here.”

 

He watched as a light dusting of pink bloomed over Mark’s cheeks and then said, “So, tuesday? I was thinking 1.”

“1pm?” Mark asked tentatively.

And Jinyoung found an opportunity to tease him further, “No, 1am. Since all art museums are open until the wee hours of morning.”

Mark pushed at his chest as his blush deepened, “Shut up.”

“Not so witty now that you’re all fucked out,” Jinyoung commented with a smirk. Mark rolled his eyes and said, “I’m tired.” 

“I’ll let you sleep then,” Jinyoung said, moving away from Mark and over to his own pillow. 

He could have sworn he heard a soft whine and then, “Why did you leave?”

Jinyoung looked over his shoulder and said with a smirk, “Thought you were still playing hard to get.”

A frown appeared on Mark’s lips, not very amused by Jinyoung’s bad joke. 

“Come back,” He motioned. “It’s too cold.”

With an amused smile, Jinyoung took Mark back into his arms. 

“You’re driving me home, too.”

“Of course I am,” Jinyoung said with a laugh. This man was going to be the death of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy that writing this prompt was so well received! Thank you ♡♡

For the first time in a while, a long while, Jinyoung woke up with someone in his arms. Sure, he had one night stands every once in a while but with those both parties knew that it was just a hookup and the guy always promptly left after the deed was done. But Jinyoung hadn’t even thought about awkwardly making up an excuse for Mark to leave. In fact he wanted him to stay. Which was weird. 

Jinyoung liked relationships. He loved caring for someone and being cared for in return. He was the most romantic among all of his friends and yet some time ago, Jinyoung decided he was too busy for a relationship. He stopped looking around for them. He stopped letting Jaebum set him up with some guy that the younger swore was his perfect match (read: Jaebum would set him up with all the boys he was too busy to go after for himself).

So Jinyoung should have treated Mark like any other guy he slept with in the last year or so: disposable. And yet he willingly allowed Mark to stay, in his bed, and even agreed to drive the guy home. Jinyoung thought that something felt different about Mark than all the other guys, but at the same time maybe it was just loneliness kicking in. 

Either way, Mark was here and Jinyoung was rather fine with that. Moving away from Mark, Jinyoung stretched to grab his phone from the charger and checked his schedule to make sure he knew what time he was expected on set. 11am, judging by the text that Alex sent him. Jinyoung glanced up to the top of the screen, it was 9am now. He shrugged, that was probably enough time to drop Mark off and get to his location.

As he got out of bed, Jinyoung racked his brain, what were they filming that day? He forgot what the director said. Stepping into the shower, Jinyoung started thinking about his lines and how he could use his experience last night as notes for his character. He let the water spray over him as he got lost in thought. 

Jinyoung walked out of the shower and blow dried his hair to rest softly over his forehead. The stylists on set would fix it to whatever style they wanted, so there was no point in attempting anything. Once Jinyoung was satisfied with the dryness of his hair, he stepped out of the bathroom and into his closet. He pulled on a white shirt and grey cardigan over distressed jeans and stepped out, walking towards the door of his bedroom.

It was only then as he saw the empty bed that Jinyoung remembered Mark. Did he leave? He knew they were joking around but Jinyoung was serious about driving him home. He wasn’t one to just say things and not follow through. Rounding the corner into his kitchen, Jinyoung saw Mark wearing the clothes from last night leaning against the counter with an apple in his hand, taking a bite.

The blonde looked relaxed as he read the paper in front of him and casually sipped out of one of Jinyoung’s mugs. Where did he get the paper from? Did Jinyoung even buy apples the last time he went grocery shopping? And was that coffee? 

“Did you make yourself coffee?” Jinyoung asked, wanting to ease his brain full of questions. 

Mark jumped at the sound of his voice, almost spilling the coffee and then looked up at him confused. “What do you mean? This was all here when I got up. I thought you did this.”

Glancing from what was in Mark’s hands and then what else was on the counter, pancakes and other fruit, and then back to the blonde’s now wide eyes. Mark’s cheeks were turning pink as he put the mug and apple down hastily. “This wasn’t for me was it? Oh fuck, I’m sorry. I just thought --- well, it doesn’t matter. I’m really sorry about eating your food.”

Jinyoung laughed at Mark’s embarrassed reaction as he went around the island countertop to the opposite side of the blonde. He put two and two together and shook his head, “My manager did this. And don’t worry, you can eat whatever you want. I’m more of a banana kind of guy than an apple guy so you didn’t eat anything I would have.”

He watched as Mark’s pink cheeks got brighter as he hesitantly picked the apple up. As Jinyoung started to peel the banana, Mark regained his composure. He said under his breath in a teasing way that Jinyoung was clearly supposed to hear, “Of course you like bananas.”

Chewing his first bite, Jinyoung grinned, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Mark leaned over the counter and said, “Only weird people like bananas. They’re all dry and mushy at the same time, it makes no sense.”

“Oh?” Jinyoung half expected Mark to make some sexual joke out of the phallus shaped fruit. “And what, apples are for cool people?”

The blonde gestured down to himself as if it was obvious, “Clearly.”

Laughing as Jinyoung poured himself some coffee, he suddenly remembered their deal from the night before. “What’s your last name?”

Mark blinked a couple of times before a flash of realization crossed over his face, “Oh, it’s Tuan.”

Mark Tuan. It didn’t ring any bells. And if it didn’t ring any bells then why was he at that party?

Seeing Jinyoung trying to work it out himself, Mark grinned and said, “I’m in a band.”

“A band?” 

Mark nodded. “Yeah, I play bass.”

He moved his fingers as if he held the neck of an instrument in his hands, plucking the strings. And then went in for another bite of his apple.

“As in guitar?” Jinyoung asked, clueless. 

The blonde laughed, bringing the back of his hand over his mouth as he attempted to not let an chunks of apple fly out of his mouth. “Yes, what else would I be playing? A bass fish?”

Jinyoung frowned, not liking how dumb he felt. He seriously knew nothing about the music world. “But I thought that party was only for actors?”

Admittingly, Jinyoung had seen a few models but they intermingled with the film world so often that it was hardly surprising anymore.

“If you’re asking how I got invited, the answer is my drummer Jackson knows like everyone in the entertainment industry,” Mark said while picking up a fork from the counter and taking a stab at one of the pancakes. “And Bam and Yugyeom were busy doing something or another so Jackson begged me to be his plus one.”

“It was so boring,” Mark said rather disenchanted as he managed to pull a piece away and lean back, popping it into his mouth. “Well, until I saw you.”

Raising an eyebrow, Jinyoung tried to sound casual as he pointed out, “I was there for almost an hour before you came over.”

He saw Mark’s eyes widen and look away, his grip on his apple tightened. “Well, uh, yeah.”

Smirking at the blonde’s reaction, Jinyoung said, “Were you watching me?”

Mark was biting into the apple again, but upon being caught red handed he froze. “Um, no I just uh saw you and---”

“Watched me from afar?” Jinyoung said, his smirk turning into a smug grin. “Didn’t you say last night that I turned away other people? How would you have known that if you weren’t watching me?”

Pink was rising to his cheeks again as Mark tried not to look Jinyoung in the eyes as he said, “Okay fine, I might have, you know maybe watched you.”

“You’re cute when your flustered,” Jinyoung smiled behind the mug he brought to his lips. He saw the corners of Mark’s mouth turn up in a shy smile. 

“I just wanted to make sure I had some sort of chance with you before making a complete fool of myself,” Mark confessed, meeting Jinyoung’s eyes hesitantly.

Jinyoung found himself smiling at the honesty and decided to be honest himself, “I just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, but my manager wouldn’t let me leave unless I took someone with me.”

But apparently that was the wrong thing to say because Mark’s cute smile turned cold. He could see the hurt behind the blonde’s eyes that Mark was trying to cover up and Jinyoung felt his heart lurch. Why did he suddenly want to fix this? If this was any of his last hookups, he would be purposefully saying something like this to get it through the guy’s head that this was just sex.

“But seriously, I would have approached you if it was any other night,” Jinyoung tried to explain. “I just didn’t want to be at that party. I hated that I was basically there against my will.” 

Mark nodded, looking away. Jinyoung could tell he wasn’t convinced and that made him want to groan in frustration. He put down the mug and said, “I didn’t mean that I left with you just to get my manager off my back. If I wasn’t actually interested in you I would have ditched you as soon as we got outside.”

Jinyoung hoped that was a good enough of an explanation because for some reason he actually cared about how Mark saw his intentions. Luckily, Mark laughed and said, “You would have actually done that?”

Grimacing at the thought, Jinyoung said, “Yeah, I was like two minutes away from going up to one of those actresses, asking her if she knew where the exit was and getting the fuck out of there.”

Mark laughed, bring a hand up to his mouth and his eyes closing. Jinyoung thought he said something like, “Oh my god.”

“Anyways, are you going to eat these pancakes? Because if not I’m covering them in syrup.”

The blonde shrugged, “Nah, I’m good.”

Jinyoung took out the maple syrup and doused the fluffy pancakes in it. 

Mark made a face, “That’s way too much sugar. Everyone knows that the superior pancake topping is whipped cream.”

But Jinyoung shook his head, “Says who? The national pancake eating bureau?”

Mark grinned and said, “Nope, me.”

Cutting a piece with his fork and eating it, Jinyoung said, “Well it tastes pretty good to me.”

 

“Why am I surprised that this is your car?” Mark said as they approached Jinyoung’s black 911. His eyes were bulging slightly as he took in the car’s sleek features. Jinyoung was just glad he washed her recently. She gleamed in the parking garage’s fluorescent lighting. 

Jinyoung smiled proudly, letting his teeth show as he opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat. As he started the car, the engine roared to life. “I don’t like spending money on things. It’s dumb. But, since I don’t ever buy shit I ended up with way too much money on my hands and this was the result.”

“What a problem to have,” Mark said, grinning sarcastically as he tugged on his seatbelt. Jinyoung’s eyes creased in amusement as he shifted gears.

He put his hand behind Mark’s headrest to back out of his parking spot and felt Mark’s stare. Jinyoung smiled to himself, liking the blonde’s attention. 

As they left the garage, Jinyoung glanced over to Mark. “You can pick the music if you want.”

And Mark jumped at that, immediately looking through his phone. His thumb hovered over his screen and he asked, “What type of music do you like?”

At the stoplight, Jinyoung slid his eyes over to meet Mark’s and said, “Honestly? Classical. But I really don’t care, you can play whatever you want.”

The blonde grinned from ear to ear, “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

And then a loud crash of drums and and messy guitar came blaring through Jinyoung’s speakers. The singer didn’t even sound like he could hold a note through his nasally voice. It just sounded like noise to Jinyoung but as the vocals were stripped away and the bridge kicked in, he saw out of the corner of his eyes Mark’s fingers moving as if they were playing along. When the guitar riff hit heavy, the blonde was nodding along, hit foot tapping with the rhythm. 

Jinyoung watched this silently with a quirk of his lips as Mark stared out the window, not even paying attention to the fact that he was being analysed. Jinyoung said he didn’t care, and while this music wasn’t really his cup of tea, Jinyoung kind of enjoyed seeing how into it Mark was. 

“Take the next exit,” Mark said, nodding towards it. Jinyoung tilted his head slightly and glanced at the map on his phone. It said to stay on the freeway for 5 more miles. 

“But---”

“I know, but trust me. This way is way faster,” Mark assured like he had said the same thing a million times before. So against the voice in Jinyoung’s head, he got into the other lane and took Mark’s word for it. 

He followed Mark’s directions closely, taking back roads and surprisingly avoiding the busy traffic. Even as Mark was leaning forward, paying attention to which way to tell Jinyoung to go next, his finger was still tapping to the music on his knee. Music seemed to be his thing, Jinyoung thought. This was the most lively he’d seen Mark outside of the bedroom.

“What band are you in again?” 

Mark turned to him with a shit eating grin as they reached an intersection. “I never actually told you.”

Jinyoung deadpanned, “Okay, fine. What band are you in?”

Mark looked back up and nodded to the road, “I’m up here on the right.”

Pulling over where the blonde said, Jinyoung stopped the car and turned to look at Mark, still waiting for an answer.

“Why? So you can google me the second I get out of the car?” Mark asked, his expression begging Jinyoung to challenge him. 

“Maybe,” Jinyoung said in the same tone. Mark only raised his eyebrow and Jinyoung noticed a smile tugging on the sides of his mouth. “Let me guess, you want something in exchange for you telling me.”

“Ding ding ding!” Mark said, his grin spreading across all his features. 

With a playful roll of his eyes, Jinyoung said, “Fine, what do you want?”

“A kiss.” That flash of doubt came back, being seen through Mark’s hesitant smile. 

Jinyoung smiled, that was something he could do. He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over, placing his hand on the back of Mark’s neck as their lips met. With the gasp that Mark inhaled, Jinyoung slid his tongue in and kissed him with the intention to take Mark’s breath away. As he pulled away, Jinyoung saw Mark’s flushed cheeks and wide eyes. Mission accomplished, he thought as he grinned. “Good?”

The blonde’s eyes widened even more and he said, “G-Good.”

With the quirk of his eyebrow, Jinyoung silently asked for the answer to his previous question. Mark picked up on it and and his eyes flashed with realization. “Oh, um we’re called Ruby Atlas.”

“Ruby Atlas?” Jinyoung said with a hint of amusement. 

Mark rolled his eyes, “Bambam came up with it. I wish we could change it but the label says we’re too big to do a rebranding etc etc so that’s us.” 

“Too big?” Jinyoung chided. 

Mark pushed his shoulder and mocked Jinyoung in a different voice than his own, smiling the whole time. “Whatever, Mr. ‘I have too much money’.”

After laughing at Mark’s horrible impression of him, Jinyoung grinned and said, “You’re cute, you know that?”

“God I hope so,” Mark said, running his hand through his hair, his face warmer than a second ago. “But um, I should probably go.”

“Yeah, you probably should,” Jinyoung agreed. Mark’s eyes shifted to the door and nodded, “Uh, yeah, I’ll just um…”

“Wait, I need your number.” Mark looked confused. “You know, so I can tell you when I’m on my way on Tuesday.”

“Oh, uh yeah that makes sense,” Mark said, blinking as he saw Jinyoung unlocking his phone and handing it to him.

Jinyoung just smiled at the blonde’s awkwardness and said, “Give me yours.”

In a fumbling motion, Mark quickly took his phone from his back pocket and gave his phone to Jinyoung.

After typing in his info, they swapped phones and Jinyoung said, “I’ll pick you up from here?”

“Sounds good,” Mark said, obviously surprised as he opened the door and got out. “1am, right?”

Laughing at Mark’s joke, Jinyoung nodded, “Yep.”

Leaning down through the door frame, the blonde asked, “Okay, but you do mean 1pm, right?”

Eyes creasing, Jinyoung laughed, “Yes, 1pm.”

“Okay, cool,” Mark nodded to himself and then smiled, “I’ll see you then.”

“Bye.”

 

Walking up the steps to Mark’s apartment, he took it two stairs at a time. With the giddy feeling that he just slept with Park Jinyoung, like the Park Jinyoung and not only that but they had a date in a few days. Which meant that Mark was actually going to see him again. He couldn’t believe that reluctantly going to a party with Jackson had led him to this. 

When he turned his key in the front door, Mark had to tell himself to take a deep breath. He was way too happy about this whole thing. When he walked through the door, Mark was immediately greeted with Jackson’s loud teasing shout of, “Welcome back traitor! After ditching me at the party, the betrayer finally comes home!”

“Oh shut up,” Mark said, knowing that he was definitely blushing. “I bet you didn’t even notice I left.”

Jackson couldn’t refute that as he shrugged, “Yeah, okay but still! You should have texted me!”

Rolling his eyes as Mark moved to grab a bag of chips from the cabinet, nodding hello to Yugyeom who was leaning against their fridge. “I did text you.”

He heard a huff from the couch and then, “You texted the group chat! Not me!”

Looking at Jackson with a bored stare, Mark said, “I was texting fast. Either way you knew I wasn’t coming home.”

Bambam came out of his room and leaned against the pillar in their living room. “Yeah, where did you stay last night?”

At this question, Mark felt his face warm and he looked down into his bag of chips, “Somewhere.”

The microwave beeped and Yugyeom took out his bag of popcorn. Mark watched with a fond smile as his singer poured salt into the bag and shook it up. It was way too much salt but the younger never learned.

Mark’s attention was taken away with another voice.

“Uh yeah, we got that. But where?” Bambam said, rolling his eyes as he picked at his nails.

Jackson hugged one of their couch cushions and said with bright eyes, “Wait, did you go home with someone?” With the smile that Mark couldn’t stop a smile from forming, Jackson grinned a million watt smile. “Oh my god, you totally did!”

“Who?” Yugyeom asked, joining Jackson on the couch. He grabbed a handful of popcorn and popped one kernel into his mouth at a time. Jackson turned around at the smell and begged Yugyeom with puppy eyes for some popcorn. The singer handed him the bag and Jackson squealed with glee. 

Mark sat on the couch next to theirs and crossed his legs, smiling to himself. His bandmates were not going to believe him when he told them. With the secret burning on his tongue, Mark decided to drag it out a little. 

Taking the bait, Bambam sat down across from him, “So? Who was it?”

Shrugging, trying to sound aloof, Mark said, “You aren’t going to believe me if I tell you.”

“Markkkk, come on.”

Jackson shoved more popcorn into his mouth and said, “Was it an actor from the party?”

“You went to an actor party?” Yugyeom asked, taking the bag back. Jackson nodded, “Technically it was an actress party since my friend Amber was throwing it but there were some actors there.”

“You fucked an actor?” Bambam said, impressed.

“Oh please, an actor fucked him,” Jackson said dramatically, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

Mark laughed into his hand and nodded, pointing at Jackson who grinned and pointed back at him. They were always on the same wavelength. “But yes. I went home with an actor.”

“Who?” Yugyeom asked, his voice raised a little with burning curiosity.

“You have three guesses,” Mark said with a smug smile. 

“Shit, this must be good then,” Jackson said with surprise.

“Chanyeol?”

Mark shook his head.

“Sungjae?” 

“Nope, he wasn’t even there,” Mark said, chewing on a sour cream and onion chip and then licking his fingers.

“Wait,” Jackson’s shoulders fell and he looked at Mark with disbelief. “Don’t tell me it was…”

Mark grinned, knowing that Jackson knew exactly who it was. Jinyoung was a known celebrity crush of Mark’s. Watching their interaction, Yugyeom said, “Who? Who was it?”

“You fucking minx,” Jackson said with a growing smile. Bambam and Yugyeom were leaning forward in their seats, wanting to understand what was happening. “I can’t believe you got fucking Park Jinyoung to take you home.”

Mark absolutely radiated smugness as his tongue licked the underside of his teeth and nodded. 

“Are you fucking serious?” Yugyeom said, dropping his bag of popcorn. “You slept with Park Jinyoung?”

“Yup,” Mark said, not being able to wipe his grin off his face. “And we have a date on Tuesday.”

“No way, no fucking way,” Jackson said, rubbing his hand against his mouth. 

While Yugyeom and Jackson were in shock, Bambam narrowed his eyes. “I don’t believe it.”

Mark rolled his eyes and pulled his phone out, scrolling through his contacts and found Jinyoung’s. He smiled when he saw that Jinyoung had put “mr. i have too much money” as the company under his name. He got up and handed his phone to Bambam, “Here, that’s his number.”

Bambam looked it over with incredulous eyes and Jackson said, “Wait! I wanna see!”

Their drummer took Mark’s phone and Bambam said, “That could be anyone’s number.”

“No wait, he just texted Mark,” Jackson said and Mark’s eyes widened, quickly moving to sit next to Jackson. 

Everyone leaned in to see what Jinyoung texted him. Mark laughed when he saw the text. 

_ok those pancakes were wayyy too sugary I feel like I’m dying_

He took the phone back and said, _so what you’re saying is that i was right?_

“I’m confused,” Jackson said and Mark filled him in with a big smile, “His manager brought pancakes over and Jinyoung killed them with maple syrup and I said that it was going to be too sugary and that whipped cream is better but he didn’t listen.”

Another text came through and Mark grin got even bigger.

_I thought we established that last night ;)_

“Ooo!” Jackson squealed. “I can’t believe you’re flirting with Park Jinyoung, like right in front of my eyes.”

Mark was beaming. He turned to Bambam who was leaning over his shoulder and said, “Is this enough proof?”

“I’m skeptical but I’ll take your word,” Their guitarist said, a smile peaking through. And that was enough for Mark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so now you've met the band and have a mention of jaebum (sorry i dont think we'll see much of youngjae) how are you feeling about this?


	3. Chapter 3

Jinyoung walked into his dressing room to get started on hair and makeup only be stopped by Alex. The guy was standing in front of him with his arms crossed, his button down creasing. 

“You’re late.”

But Jinyoung just rolled his eyes and sat down in front of he vanity. The makeup artist started right away. “I’m only 10 minutes late. And I’m never late so it’s not that big of a deal.”

His manager huffed, “Yeah, you’re never late so what’s the difference this time? It’s not like you even drank much so don’t pretend you’re hungover.”

A smile bubbled up on Jinyoung’s lips as he looked straight ahead into the mirror and said, “I was driving Mark home.”

“Mark? Who the hell is---wait. Is that the blonde guy from last night?” Jinyoung nodded with a smile. Alex did not look as happy. He sighed and said, “He slept over? And you drove him home? Why?”

Rolling his eyes, Jinyoung said, “It’s called being nice.”

“Yeah, if he’s your boyfriend. But that was just a hookup, you’ll never see him again,” Alex said impatiently.

Jinyoung found himself not looking at his manager in the eyes, a guilty smile resting on his lips. 

“No,” Alex said exasperatedly. “Don’t tell me you’re seeing him again.”

With a bashful look, Jinyoung confirmed, “We have a date on Tuesday.”

“Oh my god, what am I going to do with you,” Alex huffed. “You don’t have time for a boyfriend, I thought we learned this with the last guy.”

Jinyoung bit his cheek, looking down. Lowly, he said, “I know…” 

There was just something about Mark that made Jinyoung want to try again. Something was telling him to go for it.

“Who even is this guy, I didn’t even recognise him,” Alex questioned, crossing his arms again as he leaned up against the counter where all the makeup was.

As his makeup artist asked him to close his eyes to put eyeshadow on, Jinyoung tried to think back to what Mark told him. “Uh, I think he’s in this band called Atlas Ruby...no, wait that’s not it. It’s---”

“Ruby Atlas.”

When Jinyoung didn’t feel little brushes softly padding on his eyelashes, he looked up at his manager, “You know them?”

He saw Alex with his jaw hanging, eyes wide and disbelieving. “You don’t? Jinyoung they’re only like one of the biggest bands right now. You should hear the way Jaebum talks about them. They have a show coming up at the Forum that sold out in like 7 seconds.”

Jinyoung blinked. He had no idea Mark was so famous. And then he laughed, “Jaebum likes them?”

Sighing, Alex said, “Oh yeah, he’s always going off about, fuck what’s their drummer’s name?” He snapped his fingers trying to remember.

“Jackson?” Jinyoung supplied. He thought Mark said that was the name. 

“Yes!” Alex said nodding. “Yeah, him. Jaebum was begging me last week to see if I knew anyone who could get him into the show but I didn’t know anyone from their label.” And then his eyes flashed mischievously. “But now that you’re dating one of their members, I’m sure you’ll have no trouble getting him in.”

Jinyoung’s smile faded and his eyes dulled, “I’m not dating Mark and even if I was, I’m not going to use him for concert tickets. He’s worth more than that.”

Raising an eyebrow, Alex chewed on his nails, “Damn, so you really like him then.”

“I don’t--- I mean like, he’s…,” Jinyoung found himself at a loss for words. His manager’s smile widened. 

“Well, let me know how Tuesday goes. But don’t be late again,” Alex said dismissively. “If you start dating him, you can’t let him get in the way of work. You’re filming every day next week but Tuesday. And you have a shoot and an interview on Friday.”

“I know, I know…,” Jinyoung sighed. This is why his last relationships failed. He simply didn’t have enough time for someone in his life. A hookup every couple months was tough enough to schedule in. A boyfriend? Impossible. 

 

Mark jumped every time his phone buzzed, hoping it was another text from Jinyoung. They had been texting back and forth the last few days leading up to Tuesday. Sometimes it took Jinyoung hours to respond but he never failed to reply. But even so, there felt like something putting distance between them. Anytime that Mark would fuck up and say something a little too serious for a casual texting relationship, Jinyoung would take a couple steps back. It made Mark want to hit his head against the wall. 

He liked Jinyoung so much already and it didn’t help that he had been lowkey, maybe highkey crushing on him for years. Mark was constantly worrying about coming on too strong. He didn’t know what Jinyoung even wanted from this, Mark couldn’t act like they were anything more than a one time thing.

But as 1pm on Tuesday neared, Mark was bouncing off the walls. He asked Yugyeom at least eight times if his outfit was okay. To which he got a half nod and a shrug, telling him to ask Bambam. And Mark would have but Bambam was still under the impression that Jinyoung wasn’t even real. 

Jackson, however, was over the moon about the whole thing. He asked Mark at least three times a day if Mark was really going on a date with the Park Jinyoung. But Mark couldn’t blame him. He couldn’t believe it either.

So when Jinyoung texted him that he was close, Mark’s blood turned to ice. It was happening, Jinyoung was picking him up. He tried to control his breathing and then he saw Bambam almost fall off the window sill.

The guitarist liked to sit there because the window sill was just barely big enough to fit him and the breeze was nice inside their hot apartment. Jackson was supposed to call their landlord about their air conditioner not working but they all knew it would take weeks for him to get around to it. 

“You good?” Mark said with a laugh. Bambam looked at him with eyes the size of the moon. 

“Park Jinyoung is outside our apartment.”

And just then Mark got a text. _Here :)_

Mark radiated excitement. “Yes he is.”

He laughed as he put on his shoes, watching Bambam staring out the window like he couldn’t believe his eyes. 

“Good luck!” Mark heard Yugyeom say from the couch as he left the apartment. 

Basically running down the stairs, Mark caught himself and took a deep breath before opening the door to the street. When he did, he saw Jinyoung leaning against his car looking down the street.

Fuck. That was all Mark could think because god damn, Jinyoung was gorgeous. As he started walking towards him, Jinyoung sensed the movement and turned his head, lips breaking into a smile. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Mark said tentatively, standing in front of Jinyoung. The actor moved back and opened the door to the passenger side for Mark. 

Jinyoung got into the driver’s seat and started the car, peeling away from the curb. “You can play music again.”

It broke the silence that Mark was sure he was causing. He just didn’t know what to say now that Jinyoung was right here in front of him again. “Oh, cool.”

He scrolled through his library and picked a song he was listening to as he got ready earlier. As they pulled up to a stop sign, Jinyoung said, “You know, you can just assume that you can choose the music whenever I’m driving.”

Mark froze. His chest felt warm as he realized that meant that Jinyoung thought that he would be driving Mark around again. Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue, Mark tried to think. No need to get ahead of himself. 

“Is this the type of music you’re band does?” Jinyoung asked, sounding generously curious.

Nodding, Mark said, “Yeah, we do a lot of pop punk. Sometimes it’s more punk than pop and sometimes is more pop than punk, but this band,” He motioned to the stereo. “Is one of our greatest inspirations. They’re who I played last time, too.”

“Are they your favorite band?” Mark nodded with a blush. But Jinyoung only smiled softly at him. “And you write your own music?”

Mark nodded sincerely, “It’s mostly Yugyeom and Bambam who write the songs and me and Jacks write the lyrics. But Bam’s been writing more recently.”

“That’s cool,” Jinyoung said and Mark was worried he was being dismissive but when he glanced over, Jinyoung actually looked pretty impressed. “You’ll have to let me see some of your lyrics sometime.”

And at that Mark absolutely beamed. “I’d like that.”

The song was ending so Mark started looking for something else to play and it struck him that he had no idea where they were going. “What museum are we going to?” 

Jinyoung’s eyes slid over to meet his, “The Los Angeles County Museum of Art.”

“LACMA?” Mark said with a raise of excitement. “I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never actually been. I see that lamp exhibit on like everyone’s instagram.”

Next to him, he saw Jinyoung nodding, “Same. I swear people are unable to go to this museum without taking a picture there.”

Grinning, Mark said, “I will be one of these people.”

Jinyoung laughed as he switched gears and Mark got confident, “What? I look cute today. I can’t let this opportunity for people to know that go by.”

He saw Jinyoung smirk, “You do look good today.”

Mark gripped at the fabric of his jeans and felt himself blushing, “Thanks.”

They reached a stop light and Jinyoung said, “I’ll be sure to catch all your good angles.”

“You’re going to take my picture?” Mark asked, surprised.

“Of course, what kind of date would I be if I didn’t?” 

Mark felt his heart flutter and he grinned out the window.

 

The two found themselves in front of some sort of abstract art. Mark tilted his head, attempting to make sense of what he was looking at. Next to him, Jinyoung laughed, “Yeah, I got no idea either.”

“Like, I felt as if I understood what it was supposed to be but now I just have no idea what I’m looking at,” Mark confessed. 

Jinyoung read off the name of the piece, “Rain after sunset.”

“Hm,” Mark said and then nodded. “I mean, there’s blue and then some purple and reds?”

“That’s all I’m getting too,” Jinyoung agreed and they both laughed. Mark felt Jinyoung’s hand on his lower back as the actor said, “Let’s go to the next exhibit.”

“Okay,” Came Mark’s soft response, his brain going into overdrive as Jinyoung’s hand slid from his back down to his arm and finally into his own hand. It took everything in him to act normal but Mark couldn’t stop a smile blooming across his lips. He could have sworn that he saw Jinyoung look over.

 

Jinyoung grabbed them drinks, coke for Mark and water for Jinyoung. Apparently Jinyoung thought that soda was too sugary and Mark couldn’t stop himself from pointing out the irony in that. Jinyoung’s response was, “Hey, I’m buying you a drink, be grateful.” But it was said with creased eyes and a smile full of teeth. Mark couldn’t help himself from laughing as Jinyoung left. 

When he came back, Mark was standing in front of a large piece on the wall. His lips parted and eyes still, trying to take it all in. He felt Jinyoung next to him. 

“You look like Cameron in Ferris Bueller's Day Off,” Jinyoung commented, handing Mark his coke. 

Mark put his hand over his mouth, hiding his smile, “Oh my god, do I?”

Jinyoung nodded, taking a sip of his water and then said, “Are you going to tell me how this painting speaks to you and made you realize how small we all are and yet when put together we create something bigger than ourselves?”

Eyelashes fluttering, Mark said, “No, don’t worry.”

“Oh, so then you weren’t going to hijack a parade and make this date into a musical?” Jinyoung said with a grin. Mark laughed and said, “No, trust me I’m not as courageous as Ferris Bueller. But wow, now I kind of want to rewatch that movie.”

Jinyoung’s eyes widened slightly as an idea flickered in his eyes, “I actually own it. We could watch it sometime?”

“You own it?” Mark asked as they moved to the next room. Jinyoung nodded and Mark said, “I apparently make the best popcorn ever, so I could make some while we watch it?”

“Apparently?” Jinyoung questioned, his features soft and at ease. 

Laughing at the memory, Mark said, “Yeah, Jackson begs me to make it every time we watch anything. I don’t have the heart to tell him I just make the popcorn from scratch and melt the butter myself. But I always add a little kettle corn seasoning at the end and he goes wild.”

“Jackson sounds fun,” Jinyoung commented. 

Sighing, Mark said, “We’ve been best friends for years, I’m basically stuck with him at this point.”

“You don’t fight with being in the same band and all?” Jinyoung asked as they walked through the doors going outside, taking Mark’s hand again. 

“For sure, Jacks and I have like one major fight a year,” Mark said, proud of himself for not making it a big deal as Jinyoung’s fingers slipped between his. “But that’s just life on the road. It’s hard to not fight when we live together and are in the same band too.”

Jinyoung nodded like her understood and then asked, “You live together?”

“Mhm,” Mark nodded. “We’ve all been living together since college and since we’re on tour half the year it just never made sense to buy our own places.”

He hoped that didn’t weird Jinyoung out but the actor only smiled at him, looking as if he agreed. They came to the lamp exhibit that they had been talking about earlier and Mark’s eyes lit up. 

“Oh my god, it’s so much taller than I imagined,” He said, his neck straining as he looked up.

Mark couldn’t stop himself from pulling Jinyoung into the exhibit and walking through the many rows of lamp lights. It felt like he was standing in an optical illusion. He unclasped their hands and ran from lamp post to lamp post. After a while, he saw where Jinyoung went and hid behind a post and smiled to himself. Mark turned around to surprise Jinyoung, who he was sure would be walking by but when he did, he found Jinyoung grinning behind him. 

“Boo,” Jinyoung said with a smile, clearly pleased with himself for fooling Mark’s plans. 

Instead of feeling disappointed, Mark only laughed and then froze when he felt Jinyoung’s lips pressed against his and a hand cupping his cheek. Mark leaned into him, putting a hand on Jinyoung’s chest and kissing him back. It felt so natural and easy to kiss Jinyoung. Maybe it was his years of crushing on the guy, but it felt right. 

When Jinyoung pulled away, Mark felt his face flush and his eyelashes fluttered. If someone told him a month ago that he would be kissing Park Jinyoung in public, he would have said they were crazy. 

“Hand me your phone, I’ll be your insta photographer,” Jinyoung said with a smug smile, seemingly satisfied with the effect he had on Mark. Flustered, Mark hesitated and then gave him his phone. 

“Now? But my face is probably all red,” He said, touching his face and blushing more.

“It is, but it’s cute,” Jinyoung said with a reassuring smile.

Taking Jinyoung’s word for it, Mark started to pose within the light posts. Doing some fake model poses, looking off into the distance and acting stoic as well as some silly cute ones. Jinyoung said he liked those best. Mark told him he’d edit them and put them up later. He always had to be cautious about uploading his location in case fans tried to find him. 

 

Eventually, it was time to go home. Mark wished that his band didn’t have practice later but they had a big show coming up and they had to prepare for it. Jinyoung was driving him back home and Mark was feeling anxious. Jinyoung seemed to like him back, at least to some extent. It made him feel relieved yet more nervous at the same time. Mark didn’t want to act too strong and push him away. 

“Did you want to do that Ferris Bueller thing this week or?” Mark hoped Jinyoung didn’t just say that in passing. He wanted to see him again. 

Mark watched closely as Jinyoung frowned and took a second before responding, “My schedule is pretty full this week, to be honest. I’m filming everyday.”

“Oh,” Mark said, trying to not sound disappointed. He added, “I mean, I’m busy too.” 

But Jinyoung met his eyes and said, “If you’re fine with something late, I can probably do tomorrow?”

He felt himself smile a little too widely than was probably necessary and said, “Tomorrow works. I just have a radio interview in the morning.”

Jinyoung smiled back and Mark felt like he was floating. “I’ll text you when I’m done filming and then pick you up?”

“You don’t always have to drive me around, you know,” Mark said, feeling weird about how he practically forced Jinyoung to drive him home last week.

“I don’t mind,” Jinyoung said. “Most of the time other people are the ones driving me places, so it’s nice to drive other people around.”

Mark’s mind went back to something that Jinyoung said their first night of meeting. His type is someone who doesn’t need help but let’s Jinyoung take care of them anyways. Mark realized he might be falling into that category with the driving and the photos. It made him smile. 

“Good,” Mark affirmed. “I like you driving me around.”

Jinyoung glanced over with a soft smile and Mark said, “And I just really like this car.”

He was happy that Jinyoung laughed and said, “Me too.”

Mark noticed Jinyoung taking the same route that Mark had told him about last week and felt his heart swell. Jinyoung remembered. Maybe it was because it really was faster but it made Mark happy that Jinyoung remembered the route at all. Before long, they were pulling up to Mark’s building. He didn’t want to get out of the car. 

So Mark played with the sleeve of his flannel and bit his lip. It was essentially the car version of waiting on a doorstep fiddling with keys. Luckily, Jinyoung caught on.

“If you wanted me to kiss you again, you could just ask,” Jinyoung said, his smile being heard in his voice. “Or, you know, you could just kiss me. Wild concept, I know.”

The sarcasm seeped into his words and Mark’s cheeks warmed. But he felt defiant and ready to prove Jinyoung wrong, so he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over and said, “Fine, maybe I will.”

And brought their lips together. He could feel Jinyoung smiling into the kiss and Mark’s heart was soaring. He pulled away after a few seconds and Mark couldn’t stop grinning. In attempt to leave with Jinyoung wanting more, Mark picked up his things and moved to get out, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow.” Jinyoung’s words were resolute. Mark couldn’t believe this was happening. 

 

When Mark was lounging around the practice room while the other members fought over what toppings to order on their pizza, Mark was flipping through the photos that Jinyoung took of him. He would have been lying if he said he didn’t get a huge smile on his face from knowing who was behind the lens. Mark saw the way he looked at Jinyoung in some of the ones that Jinyoung had taken without Mark knowing. He felt embarrassed at how painfully obvious it must have been that he liked Jinyoung. But they were cute photos. He almost liked them better than the posed ones. 

He picked out his top five favorite photos and was narrowing them down when Jackson came to sit next him, too close like usual. Jackson was leaning into his side, giving Mark no privacy as he took it upon himself to see what Mark was doing. 

“Did Jinyoung take these of you?” He asked, putting his hand out to signal that he wanted to look through them. Mark let him and said, “Yeah, I wanted to post some but I didn’t know which ones.”

“How did the date go, anyways?” Bambam asked, sitting on the other side of him.

Once again, Mark felt himself smiling. “Really well, I think. He kissed me.”

Jackson aww’d and held Mark’s phone to his chest as he snuggled into Mark’s side. 

But Bambam rolled his eyes, “You act as if he didn’t have his dick inside you last week.”

“Well, yeah but that was…,” Mark struggled to make sense of his thoughts. “I mean that was just sex, he didn’t really care who I was then.”

“Is he a good kisser?” Jackson asked, swiping back and forth between two different photos. And Mark nodded, a smile tugging at his lips at the memory.

“I know he’s like you’re celebrity crush and all, but do you really think something will happen between the two of you?” Bambam asked. It was funny, Jackson was a hopeless romantic and Bambam was always the voice of reason. Yugyeom somehow always fell in between. 

“I don’t know,” Mark said, doubting himself. “I’m seeing him tomorrow night though.”

Bambam looked surprised and Jackson said, “Ooo tomorrow night?” And waggled his eyebrows.

Mark pushed at his chest and Jackson stuck his tongue out. 

“Are you going out to dinner or?” Bambam asked, scrolling through Mark’s phone after stealing it from Jackson.

Shaking his head, Mark said, “He’s picking me up for a movie night at his place and I’m making him that popcorn you like.”

He looked at Jackson and his best friend pouted, “I’m sad you’re not making me popcorn but also happy you’re gonna get laid.”

“Who said I was gonna get laid?” Mark asked, feigning innocence.

“Please, even I know you are and I’ve only heard half this conversation,” Yugyeom said as he sat on the couch across from them.

He wanted to roll his eyes, but Mark secretly hoped that they were right.

“So you’re practically dating then.”

“I hope so?” Mark said, playing with his sleeve again. 

“Well that’s the second date right? He’s clearly interested if he asked to have two dates in a row,” Bambam pointed out.

“Can you ask you ask your boyfriend if he knows Im Jaebum so I can date a sexy actor too?” Jackson said, laying his head in Mark’s lap and looking up at him.

Mark laughed and then said, “He’s friends with Jaebum actually.”

“What? No shit?” Jackson said, looking like he just got told that santa was real.

“Mhm,” Mark said. “I think they’re close actually. Jinyoung said something about Jaebum getting him to buy art and as far as I can tell, Jinyoung hates to spend money so it must mean something.”

Jackson’s eyes got wider, excitement pouring over his features.

“And yet he drives a Porshe?” Bambam said in an ironic tone.

Jackson reached up and waved his hand, shushing Bambam, “Shh, that’s not the important part.”

“And what is?” Mark said, entertained with his friend’s two totally different reactions.

“That part where you’re going to get your boyfriend to hook me up with Im Jaebum,” Jackson’s eyes had stars in them as he said Jaebum’s name. That’s always how it was, Mark and Jackson would crush on actors while Bambam and Yugyeom would fall for artists. 

“He’s not my boyfriend, Jacks,” Mark said with the roll of his eyes.

“Not with that attitude he isn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I now have the majority of this planned out, so I hope you liked this chapter and are excited for more :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably should have split this into two chapters, but I was just so excited lol
> 
> enjoy the long chapter ♡♡♡♡

With a well rested sleep, Jinyoung was awake and ready for his long day of filming. He was being put into a bunch of different outfits, the stylists deciding amongst themselves what would look best on him. Alex handed him his coffee order and as Jinyoung took a sip, asked, “How was yesterday? Did you take my advice and go to LACMA?”

Unbeknownst to Mark, Jinyoung had actually texted his manager that morning freaking out because he didn’t actually know any art museums. After laughing at Jinyoung’s floundering, Alex suggested LACMA. 

“Yep,” Jinyoung said as a blazer was being thrown over his arms. “I think he really liked it, for an art museum that is. He looked so cute running through the lamp posts.”

Rolling his eyes, Alex said “Of course he did.”

“I’m seeing him again tonight,” Jinyoung announced. He knew that Alex wasn’t going to be happy but Jinyoung couldn’t help but be excited. 

“Tonight?” Alex said, looking disapproving. “You’re filming for 12 hours today and again tomorrow, what makes you think that you can spend all night with some guy?”

“But he’s a really cute guy,” Jinyoung insisted. He knew that Alex was right. He’ll be dead tired for tomorrow’s shoot but at least they weren’t filming for scenes with that many lines. If he wanted to keep seeing Mark, he’d have to sacrifice like this. 

“Apparently,” Alex scoffed. “I almost wish you were only seeing him to get your dick wet, at least then you’d break it off with him when you got too busy.” 

Jinyoung grinned at his manager’s anguish. “But no, silly me had to have these dumb things called feelings.”

“Oh so you admit it now? You like him?” Alex said, an eyebrow raised as he stepped back to let a stylist through.

Hesitantly, Jinyoung nodded. There was no way to deny it now. The blonde was the only thing that occupied his mind outside of work. Speaking of Mark, Jinyoung felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out.

He was met with a cute, sleepy photo of Mark at a radio station with the caption, “It’s too early for this.” 

Alex peered over his shoulder and said, “Okay fine, he is pretty cute.”

Grinning, Jinyoung texted him back but at least you look cute

Seconds later he got a reply.

_no pic back???_

__

__

_and thanks :)_

Jinyoung rolled his eyes and took a quick selfie, his stylists blurs in the background as they rushed around trying to find the perfect accessories. 

He captioned it with, “I should have known by now that you don’t do anything for free lol.”

_damn right ;)_

__

__

_but also omg are you wearing a suit???_

And then a bunch of fire emojis came through and Jinyoung laughed. Alex shook his head and left to talk to the director.

 

As the last scene ended, Jinyoung couldn’t get out of the set clothes fast enough. He barely sat still for long enough for his makeup artists to remove all the layers of makeup off his face. As soon as he was back to looking like a normal human being, Jinyoung texted Mark telling him he was on his way.

It was almost 10 and Jinyoung half expected Mark to tell him it was too late but Mark’s response came when Jinyoung got into his car.

_cool, i have all the popcorn stuff ready_

__

__

_but also jackson forced me to make some so i have a little less lol_

A picture of Jackson stuffing his face came through and Jinyoung laughed. He replied _that’s fine. I’m hungry so I was planning on ordering sushi, are you down?_

He put his phone in his cup holder as he took off his coat. Jinyoung grinned to himself as he heard his phone start buzzing.

_yES_

__

__

omg pls

_can i have an avocado roll_

Laughing at Mark’s response, Jinyoung replied with _lol ok I’m about to drive so I’ll text you when I’m close_

He texted Alex their order, requesting the sushi place in Jinyoung’s building and got a lot of rolled eyes emojis in return. Along with a _have fun lover boy._

 

This time, Jinyoung stayed in his car when he picked Mark up. It was too cold to go outside. That and he hoped the pick up would be speedy. Although he was tired, Jinyoung still wanted to see Mark. This one night thing was really turning into something more. He hoped he wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Jinyoung saw blonde out of the corner of his eye almost as soon as he put the car in park. 

“Hey,” Mark said as he got in, putting the popcorn supplies in the back seat. “Thanks for picking me up.”

“Anytime,” Jinyoung said. He was starting to realize that he meant it. 

The drive home was filled with Mark complaining about Jackson and his other roommates. Jinyoung didn’t find it annoying though, in fact he found himself hanging on Mark’s words, eager to hear more. He actually started picking up on Mark’s friend’s personalities one by one. 

Jackson seemed ostentatious and loud while Bambam seemed more cynical and cryptic. He was still unsure about Yugyeom, though. Mark’s mentioning of him was mostly in passing. So far Yugyeom sounded like a tall, lovable friend. 

As usual, Mark picked the music. Surprisingly, Jinyoung was starting to recognise songs. Not enough to remember lyrics and definitely not well enough to know the names of songs, but still. They were familiar to him. In his own way, Mark was slowly making his way into Jinyoung’s heart and memories.

Once they arrived, Mark asked to be shown around the kitchen to start making the popcorn. Jinyoung left him to it and went downstairs to grab the sushi. He had ordered from this same sushi place so many times that they always remembered him and added extra food into the takeout bag. But this time, the cashier who Jinyoung saw most often had a glint in her eyes. 

“You ordered more than usual, Jinyoung,” She said, insinuating something. Jinyoung, tired and clueless, was relieved of having to figure it out by her saying, “Do you have someone over tonight?”

He tried not to smile but his eyes probably told her everything she needed to know as he said, “Maybe I do.”

She instantly grinned, “Good, I gave them extra avocado rolls so treat them well, okay?”

“I will,” He said, letting his smile shine through. It was adorable that she figured out that he had someone over based on what sushi he ordered. “Thank you.”

When he entered his apartment Jinyoung grinned. He called out as he put his shoes away, “I could smell the popcorn from the front door.”

“Does it smell good?” Mark called back. A smile could be heard through his voice. 

Jinyoung came into the kitchen and put the bag on the countertop, sniffing the air dramatically for Mark’s amusement. “No, it smells terrible.”

He grinned as he saw Mark’s features fall into a frown. “I should have never expected you to say anything else.”

“Just like how I know that you’ll have a request for me before I can even think about eating this popcorn,” Jinyoung joked back and Mark looked over his shoulder with a shy smile.

“I think I like kisses as payment the most.”

He wasn’t cognitively aware of it, but Jinyoung could feel his features softening at Mark’s words. 

“It’s a very reasonable payment,” Jinyoung agreed, leaning over Mark’s shoulder to watch him pouring the butter over fresh popcorn. “And it does smell really good, I can see why Jackson goes crazy over it.”

“Thanks,” Mark’s lips stretched into a proud smile as he sprinkled the kettle corn seasoning over the top.

Jinyoung handed him a bowl and then started unpacking the sushi. He laughed to himself when he saw what the cashier meant. There was his usual shrimp tempura roll next to two avocado rolls. If he was being honest, Jinyoung didn’t know the difference between an avocado roll and a california roll. They both had avocado and that was the extent of Jinyoung’s knowledge. 

“What?” Mark asked, turning around with the popcorn in his hands. He picked up a few pieces and ate them, satisfied with his work.

“The girl at the sushi place knows me since I’m there all the time and because I ordered your avocado roll, she thought I had someone over,” Jinyoung said with a chagrin smile. 

The look Mark gave him clearly showed how funny Mark thought this was, “Do you really have no friends or are you just stingy and never buy them sushi?”

Jinyoung’s mouth gaped and he said with a recovered smile, “Hey, I have friends! I just don’t usually bring them back to my house. And anyways, I don’t think she meant just a friend.”

He said the last part just to watch Mark’s reaction. Jinyoung was appeased by the pink dusting across Mark’s cheeks. “You don’t have those around usually?”

Shaking his head, Jinyoung said, “You’re the first in a while.”

Mark’s eyelashes fluttered as he looked away, trying to hide his smile from hearing that. He composed himself enough to tease, “What, a hot actor like you can’t find anyone in this big city?”

Rolling his eyes at Mark’s attempt at subtly, he took his and Mark’s rolls with him as he lead them to the tv room. “No, I just don’t have time for a boyfriend.”

He plopped himself on the soft cushion and Mark tentatively sat next to him, “But you have time for me?”

Jinyoung noted the ambiguity of the blonde’s tone. He shook his head and sighed, “No, I really don’t actually. My manager, Alex, was yelling at me for spending so much time with you.”

“He doesn’t like us hanging out?” Mark asked, keeping his eyes on his sushi. 

“Alex thinks it’ll be bad for my work. But then he found out who you were and got a lot more supportive,” Jinyoung grinned to himself, eyes creasing. 

“So your manager knew who I was but you didn’t?” Mark said, eyes sparkling with amusement.

Jinyoung shrugged. “I mean, I guess. He chided me for not knowing who you were. And then immediately asked if I could get him free tickets.”

“What did you say?” Mark said, he suddenly looked a lot more interested in the conversation.

“That you’re worth more that concert tickets,” Jinyoung said, dipping his sushi into the soy sauce. 

When he looked up, Mark’s eyes were shining. Mark looked down when their eyes met, embarrassed and said, “Thanks.”

Jinyoung only smiled and went back to eating. After a moment or two, Mark seemed to remember something. “Speaking of being famous perks, you know Im Jaebum, right? My friend was wondering if you could hook him up.”

“Why?” Jinyoung asked, curious. “Am I not good enough? You wanted to sample the famous actor pool a little more?”

He was totally kidding but Mark seemed to think he actually hit a nerve. “No! I meant Jackson!”

Jinyoung’s eyes lit up. Oh, this was good. Jackson and Jaebum were mutually interested in each other. “Jaebum actually has a huge thing for Jackson, so that’s perfect.”

“He does?” Mark said, shocked.

“Yeah, that’s who the free tickets were for. Jaebum was apparently barraging Alex to see if he could get him into the show, next Saturday I think?” Jinyoung said, trying to think back to the details. 

“I could get him in no problem,” Mark said. “Jackson would flip his shit if he knew that Jaebum was his fan.”

“Good,” Jinyoung said with a smile. “I’ll let Alex and Jaebum know.”

“But, um,” Mark started. “I actually have this other friend who was looking for an actor boyfriend.”

Jinyoung narrowed his eyes, suspecting that he knew where this was going but not entirely sure. “Yeah? What are they looking for?”

“Hmm,” Mark thought for a second. “Someone really handsome, like makes your heart stop the second you see them handsome. Someone with a sense of humor and isn’t afraid to use it against you. Someone sharp-witted. Someone who likes to drive. Someone who will ask you for two dates in a row.”

The look Mark was giving him was light hearted, but something behind the blonde’s eyes was heavy. 

“I think I know someone who fits that description,” Jinyoung said, pretending to think a little.

“Oh you do?” Mark said, his eyes brightening. “Could I get their number, you know for my friend?”

Jinyoung shook his head, chewing on his sushi. Mark titled his head in confusion. “I think your friend already has his number.”

“Does he?” Mark said, his eyes searching Jinyoung’s. “So they already know each other?”

“Yep,” Jinyoung replied. “My friend actually really likes your friend.”

“Then why hasn’t he asked him out yet?” Mark said, swishing the soy sauce around in it’s togo cup with his chopsticks. 

“He has,” Jinyoung answered. He seriously hoped Mark knew what he was trying to say. “But they’re still just friends.”

Mark kept his eyes down as he said, “I think my friend really likes your friend but he’s worried about your friend not liking him back enough to want to be more than friends.”

Wishing he could just kiss Mark and stop all this silliness but not wanting to ruin their moment, Jinyoung only smiled. “My friend definitely wants to be more than friends.”

He watched as Mark’s eyes snapped up to meet his. His eyes were full of hopefulness but doubt still clouded them. “Then maybe he should ask my friend to be his boyfriend…”

Jinyoung put his chopsticks down on the coffee table and faced Mark with an amused smile, “Fine, will you be my boyfriend?”

Surprise flashed through Mark’s features, but happiness was blossoming through. He controlled his emotions enough to fake shock, “Me? What are you talking about? I was talking about Jackson.”

“Oh, yeah for sure,” Jinyoung said, pretending to go along with it. “I was totally talking about Jaebum too, then.”

Mark grinned from ear to ear. “Do you really want me to be your boyfriend, though?”

Jinyoung nodded, he reached out and felt the soft skin of Mark’s cheeks under his fingertips. 

“But I thought you didn’t have time for a boyfriend?” Mark asked hesitantly, sounding unsure of himself.

“I really don’t,” Jinyoung said. “After this movie, I film for something else and then two months from now I’ll be in Hawaii filming for 4 weeks.”

“Can I come visit you in Hawaii?” Mark asked. His eyes bright with the prospect of white sand beaches.

Sucking in air in fake cringe, Jinyoung said, “I don’t think so, only my boyfriend is allowed to come to Hawaii with me and seeing as you haven’t actually answered me…”

“Oh my god,” Mark said in anguish. “Why are you so mean to me?”

Jinyoung quirked his brow, “I thought you said you wanted a boyfriend who used his humor against you? I’m just trying to give you what you wanted.”

Groaning, Mark huffed, “Fine, yes I’ll be your boyfriend.”

“I don’t know, you don’t sound too into it,” Jinyoung said, pretending to rethink his decision. “Maybe I’ll ask out Jackson, I hear he’s in demand these days…”

“Stop it!” Mark covered up his laughter with his hand. He saw Jinyoung’s teasing gaze and rolled his eyes. The next thing Jinyoung knew, Mark was straddling his lap. The lips pressed against his were so sudden, Jinyoung forgot how to breathe. But barely a second went by before he was pulling Mark closer and kissing him back. 

Once they broke apart, Mark asked, “Is that into it enough?”

Jinyoung leaned in for a another kiss and then said, “Good enough for me. Welcome to the fabulous life of being Park Jinyoung’s boyfriend.”

He smiled at the reference to the show that Jinyoung was sure was at least 10 years old by now. 

“Of being your boyfriend? Excuse you, I travel the world. Mine is way more glamorous,” Mark teased. 

“I’m sorry, who just begged me to take them to hawaii?” Jinyoung said, his arms wrapped around Mark’s waist pulling them closer together. 

“Okay well we don’t play shows that often in Hawaii,” Mark defended. Something flashed in his eyes and said, “Speaking of, you should come to that show next Saturday.” 

“I’d love to,” Jinyoung grinned. Which threw Mark off, “Really? I mean it’ll be boring as hell watching us play for like two hours.”

But Jinyoung shrugged, not really caring. He made a living off standing around waiting for other people to finish their scenes, but he was actually interested in watching Mark. “I haven’t seen you play. I want to see the reason why you apparently sold this show out in 7 seconds.”

“It was 8 actually,” Mark corrected him and then immediately grinned, showing Jinyoung that he was joking. “But you don’t even like that type of music, won’t you be bored?”

“It’s you,” Jinyoung countered with a shrug. “You’re obviously passionate about it. I want to see you in your element.”

He saw the glint of Mark’s eyes and smiled too. Jinyoung really wanted to make this work. He liked what they had so much, he just hoped it would stay like this.

Throughout all that, Jinyoung had forgotten the reason why Mark was here. It was more of an excuse to hang out again, but still. “Oh shit, let me put on the movie.”

Mark laughed as he got off Jinyoung, letting him grab the remote. Jinyoung liked how Mark settled next to him, making a place for himself by Jinyoung’s side. Jinyoung supposed that was how their relationship was too: He wasn’t looking for anything but somehow Mark made a place for himself in Jinyoung’s heart. 

Jinyoung grabbed the popcorn and put it on his lap, tasting it for the first time. The mix of salty and sweet was perfect. “Damn, babe. You were right about this popcorn.”

Next to him, Mark beamed. Jinyoung saw his eyes twinkling and put an arm around Mark’s shoulders. The blonde snuggled into him and Jinyoung noticed how cold Mark was. “Are you cold?”

“A little,” Mark confessed. “You keep your place so cool.”

“Oh so that’s why you wanted to cuddle the first time you slept over, not because of me, right?” Jinyoung said with a smirk. 

“I had to find an excuse to keep your arms around me,” Mark said, resting his shoulder on Jinyoung’s shoulder. Jinyoung could feel a shiver tremble through Mark’s body and frowned. “That and you’re like a furnace, you’re so warm.”

Just as Mark’s arms were snaking around his side, Jinyoung got up and Mark fell into the couch. The blonde looked up, confused. 

“I’m grabbing you a blanket,” Jinyoung said as he left the room. “I don’t want you to get too cold.”

He came back with the softest, most fluffy blanket he owned. But instead of sitting on the couch like before, Jinyoung laid down and pulled Mark down with him. He smiled at how perfectly Mark fit in his arms. With one hand, he carefully placed the blanket on Mark and him, but mostly on Mark. As Jinyoung made sure to tuck in the blanket under Mark’s sides, the blonde started laughing. “You don’t have to be that diligent.”

Jinyoung kissed the back of his neck and smiled, “I don’t want you getting cold during the movie.”

Once he was done, Jinyoung put his arm over Mark’s hip and held him close for extra warmth. 

“At this point I think I’ll just overheat,” Mark laughed at Jinyoung’s attentiveness. 

“Good, that’s what I was going for,” Jinyoung grinned as the opening credits of the movie played.

Somewhere between the scene of Cameron calling Mr. Rooney and Ferris taking the Ferrari, Jinyoung fell asleep. But it wasn’t until he woke up in the dark, his tv turning off on it’s own due to lack of activity, that Jinyoung realized he had fallen asleep. Mark was sleeping comfortably in his arms, the sound of his soft breathing made Jinyoung smile.

But if they slept here, they would be sore in the morning. So Jinyoung made the executive decision to scoop Mark up into his arms and carry him to his bedroom. He felt Mark stirr awake in his arms, “Jinyoung..?’

Mark’s voice was soft and questioning, like he wasn’t fully aware of what was happening. “It’s okay, baby. I’m just bringing you to a more comfortable place to sleep.”

He tried to match the softness of Mark’s voice to not wake him up further. Jinyoung pulled back the covers and placed Mark on the sheets. But his boyfriend whined and mumbled something that sounded like, “Too many clothes.”

Jinyoung sat on the bed next to him and gently touched Mark’s hair, “Do you want me to take something off?”

Nodding sleepily, Mark mumbled, “Pants.”

“Okay, baby,” Jinyoung said with an affectionate smile. He slid Mark’s pants off of him carefully and then asked, “Anything else?”

“Shirt,” Mark raised his arms and Jinyoung complied, pulling his oversized shirt over his head.

“Good?” Mark nodded.

After Jinyoung took off his clothes, he got into bed next to Mark. He smiled when he saw that Mark already seemed to be asleep again and surrounded him, pulling Mark to his chest. His boyfriend adjusted in his arms and Jinyoung must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, he was waking up to the sun shining through his windows. 

Mark was still in his arms, head resting on his shoulder. Jinyoung reached over him to his phone on the other side, kissing Mark’s hair in the process. He checked the time and saw that he had a couple hours before he had to be on set. He texted Alex, _hey can you bring over waffles this time? and whipped cream_

The reply came after a second or two.

_I only brought you breakfast over as a celebratory thing for going to the party, I’m not your mom._

Jinyoung grinned and typed back, _yeah but I don’t have anything to make my boyfriend for breakfast_

He could imagine Alex’s eye roll. He also needed to go grocery shopping.

_Why am I not surprised??_

__

__

_But I’ll do it. Because I’m nice._

Smiling at his phone, Jinyoung texted back a thank you with lots of heart emojis and got some eye roll emojis back. Typical Alex. 

“What are you laughing at?” Mark asked, eyes still closed with a lazy smile on his lips. 

“You, obviously,” Jinyoung replied, putting his phone back on the bedside table. It earned him a groan and he said, “I was texting Alex.”

“Your manager?” Mark asked, snuggling further into Jinyoung. 

Jinyoung nodded and stretched his arms out, one still under Mark’s head. But then rolled over to lay on his back, taking Mark with him so that his boyfriend was leaning on his chest. Jinyoung kept one arm wrapped around Mark and the other settled behind his own head. Mark spread out, stretching his own limbs only to curl back into Jinyoung’s side and closed his eyes again. 

“You’re so cute when you’re sleepy,” Jinyoung mentioned, brushing Mark’s hair out of his eyes.

“Good,” Came Mark’s response, smiled into Jinyoung’s chest. “Keep thinking I’m cute.”

And just when Jinyoung thought the blonde was about to fall asleep again, Mark’s eyes shot open, “Wait, didn’t we fall asleep on the couch? And where are all my clothes?”

Jinyoung’s smile widened as he laughed. “I woke up and carried you here. I guess you were actually asleep when you asked me to take off your clothes.”

Mortified, Mark’s eyes widened, “I asked you that?”

“Well, not as much asked me as just mumbled about wearing too many clothes,” Jinyoung said with a twist of a smile. Mark squeezed his eyes shut and his hand curled into a fist on top of Jinyoung’s chest.

Taking Mark’s hand into his, Jinyoung weaseled his fingers between Mark’s. As soon as Jinyoung touched him, Mark’s features lightened. But because he was Jinyoung, he couldn’t let an opportunity to get a reaction out of his boyfriend go by, “Cute underwear, by the way.”

But instead of blushing and grimacing, Mark perked up and asked, “You like them? Red’s my favorite color.”

He sat up on his elbow with a grin. Jinyoung smiled back at him and said, “Mine’s blue.”

“We’re like fire and ice then,” Mark suggested and Jinyoung raised an eyebrow. 

“I can see where I’m ice, but how are you fire?” 

With a mischievous grin, Mark moved on top of Jinyoung. “I’ll show you.”

Mark leaned down and kissed Jinyoung, his hand cupping the side of Jinyoung’s face. His kiss was determined and passionate as he bit Jinyoung’s bottom lip, making Jinyoung part his lips with a soft gasp of surprise. With that little opening he created for himself, Mark slid his tongue in. Jinyoung smiled into the kiss, loving the way their lips fit so well together. 

He felt Mark’s hips move, grinding down into his and Jinyoung dipped a hand below the waistband of Mark’s red boxers. He palmed Mark’s ass before sliding a couple fingers down and played with his entrance. Mark moaned into his mouth as Jinyoung’s fingers circled along his rim. 

“Lube,” Was all Mark breathed into his mouth before Jinyoung was reaching over into his drawer. He pulled out a bottle of lube and a condom and set them next to him. As he slicked up his fingers and then brought his hand under Mark’s spread thighs to get to his hole, Mark smiled, “Is that raspberry flavored lube?”

Jinyoung grinned back up at him as he rubbed against his boyfriend’s hole, “All the better to taste you with.”

Mark’s jaw dropped and Jinyoung wasn’t sure if it was because Jinyoung’s finger breached him or because Jinyoung just insinuated that he would rim him. Mark’s eyes fluttered closed as he paid attention to what Jinyoung’s fingers were doing and then said, “Promise me you’ll eat me out soon.”

Grinning, Jinyoung said, “Promise.”

He stretched him open quickly, fingers brushing against Mark’s prostate every now and then to get a drawn out moan out of Mark. But when Mark started grinding against Jinyoung’s fingers, Jinyoung figured he was worked open enough. He pulled out his fingers and Mark took that as his cue to get his and Jinyoung’s underwear off. 

As Jinyoung picked up the condom, Mark took in out of his hand, “Let me do it.”

Jinyoung brought his hands up, signalling that it was all Mark’s. He watched as his boyfriend made quick work of it and then lifted his hips to position himself over Jinyoung’s cock. “Are you going to ride me, baby?”

He could feel the head of his cock against the rim and then Mark was lowering himself and saying, “Yes, daddy.”

Jinyoung’s eyes widened. He didn’t even have to ask. Mark closed his eyes and bit his lip and Jinyoung put his hands on Mark’s hips. “You okay?”

Mark nodded and said, “You’re just so big.”

He couldn’t help but smirk at that comment. But before he knew it, Mark was raising his hips again and Jinyoung watched as Mark tried different things out before he found what he was looking for. 

“Ah fuck,” He moaned, the hand on Jinyoung’s chest dug into his skin. He did the same thing again and again, starting a rhythm. It wasn’t too fast or too slow and Jinyoung definitely couldn’t complain with the all the moans spilling from Mark’s lips. 

With this position, he got to take in all of Mark’s beauty. His boyfriend had a slim frame and small hips, but he was toned. He watched as everytime Mark would hit his own spot, his abs would flex. Maybe it was the fact that Mark was fucking himself on Jinyoung’s cock, but all Jinyoung could think about how beautiful Mark was. 

And so he told him. And Mark with clouded eyes blushed at the compliment. He smiled and leaned back, changing the pace a little. Mark had his head tilted back and his mouth was hanging open. 

The moans that came out of him were breathy and drawn out. Jinyoung felt himself getting closer but Mark seemed to be enjoying himself, just lazily riding him. So, Jinyoung took one of Mark’s hands into his and let his boyfriend do his thing.

Eventually, Mark started swearing again and his hips moved faster. Jinyoung could feel Mark tightening around his cock and thought his boyfriend must be feeling close. He reached out and rubbed his thumb over Mark’s leaking slit and grinned when he heard a long drawn out, “Daddy.” 

Jinyoung made a circle with his fingers around Mark’s cock and slowly stroked up and down. He felt Mark buck into his hand and couldn’t stop from moaning himself. He wrapped his whole hand around Mark’s cock and stroked him faster to match the pace of Mark’s hips. He felt Mark squeeze his hand and saw how his lips trembled with moans. 

The sight and sounds before him had Jinyoung close to the edge. He was trying so hard to not thrust up into Mark and to let him finish first. But as soon as Mark moaned, “Oh fuck” And came onto Jinyoung’s stomach, Jinyoung felt himself release. 

Coming down off the high, Mark laid down on top on him. He pressed his face into Jinyoung’s neck and Jinyoung pulled the covers over them, holding Mark close. His boyfriend hummed at the warmth.

They took a shower together and Jinyoung blowdried his and Mark’s hair. He laughed at Mark’s face in the mirror as the warm air hit his scalp. Despite the loud noise, Mark looked completely satisfied. Jinyoung was putting together that Mark really liked to feel warm. Maybe he really was fire. 

 

“You can take something of mine if you don’t want to wear what you had on last night,” Jinyoung suggested as he walked to his closet. Across the bed where he already tugged his pants on, Mark’s eyes practically sparkled. He quickly came over to stand next to Jinyoung, looking at his options. Jinyoung watched as Mark glanced between a few shirts before picking out a plain black shirt. The blonde looked so happy in the shirt that was at least two sizes too big for him that Jinyoung put an arm around him, pulling him in for a half hug. 

The two made their way to the kitchen and Jinyoung was happy to see that Alex had brought over what Jinyoung asked for. But what he didn’t expect was Alex to still be there. Mark tensed next to him, as if he didn’t know what to do.

“Hey,” Alex said nonchalantly as he ate a piece of his waffle. He noticed the weird look on Jinyoung’s face and said, “Thought I should at least meet him.”

He turned to Mark and extended his hand, “Hi I’m Alex, Jinyoung’s manager.”

“Hi I’m Mark, Jinyoung’s boyfriend,” Mark said with a bright smile as he shook Alex’s hand, like he couldn’t believe he was saying that.

“Yeah, I guessed as much,” Alex said, his eyes roaming over the blonde as Mark grabbed himself a cup of coffee. 

Jinyoung saw Alex’s reaction and commented jokingly, “Does he meet your standards?”

“I can see why you went for him,” Alex shrugged like he didn’t care, but Jinyoung noticed how Alex gave him another once over and grinned.

“You got whipped cream?” Mark said, sounding surprised as his eyes met Jinyoung’s. 

“Correction,” Alex said. “I got you whipped cream. And everything else you see here.”

There was fresh coffee and an array of fruit again next to the waffles and whipped cream. Mark smiled and thanked him before covering his waffle in whipped cream. Jinyoung watched with a soft expression as Mark then carefully put blueberries on top, one by one. 

He passed by Mark to get to the coffee, but not before wrapping an arm lazily around Mark’s side and kissing his hair. Jinyoung knew that Alex was watching with judgemental eyes, observing the two of them. 

“Mark can get in Jaebum, by the way,” Jinyoung said casually, picking up another banana. 

Taking another bite, Alex said, “Oh good.”

“Jaebum has been Jackson’s celebrity crush for years,” Mark commented, smiling to himself. “I can get Jaebum backstage if he wants.”

“Perfect,” Alex said before Jinyoung said, “And I’m going too.”

Alex rolled his eyes, “You’re filming that Saturday.”

But Jinyoung only shrugged, “Yeah, but I can finish early.”

Sighing, Alex said, “Alright, it’s your funeral.”

Mark was watching this interaction and shot Jinyoung a worried look, “You don’t have to come.”

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t?” Jinyoung’s voice was playful yet sincere. Mark beamed.

An audible sigh was heard as Alex got up, “Okay I’ll leave you two love birds alone.”

Passing by the couple, Alex pointed to Mark, “If I don’t see him on set at 9am sharp I’m blaming you.”

Mark laughed and something flashed in Alex’s eyes, “Oh, actually I should probably get your info now that you’re dating my client.”

“Is that all I am to you?” Jinyoung joked as the two of them exchanged numbers.

Alex looked up will dull eyes, “You didn’t get me a christmas card last year, so yes.”

Jinyoung pretended to be offended and his manager grinned as he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they're boyfriends!!!!! I thought about dragging it out a little longer but since the whole point of this flashback is to show their relationship, I decided against it.
> 
> the next chapters are going to have more time skips in between them, so be aware :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a little long but there's some smut at the end so I hope you still like it lol
> 
> there is a reference to Mark on stage and in case you can't imagine it with my wording (lol sorry) this is [the famous pressure flip.](https://youtu.be/e9hscTVxmAc?t=15s) I tried to model mark after some more acrobatic bass players since he's our flying mark :) also also the venue that is referenced here is where got7 will play in july!!

It was Saturday night and Jinyoung was dead tired. He managed to finish his scenes early but as Alex suggested, it took a toll on him. He stood outside the back doors of the venue, waiting for Mark’s band manager to grab him. It was a little cooler than Jinyoung had expected and he was glad that he put on a sweater that morning. 

The door opened and a tall, muscular man stepped out. His face was like steel but his eyes widened a bit at the sight of Jinyoung, who waved. He motioned Jinyoung to come through the door.

As they walked through the venue hallways, the manager who Mark told him doubled as their bodyguard said, “So you and Mark?”

Jinyoung knew his face told the guy everything he needed to know, his eyes always got warm at even the mention of his boyfriend. “Yeah, me and Mark.”

The guy sighed and said, “Just don’t hurt him, okay? He might seem sarcastic and thick skinned but he’s sensitive.” 

“I have no intentions of hurting him, I promise,” Jinyoung said sincerely. He hadn’t talked to anyone who knew Mark personally yet and he wasn’t expecting them to say that. Jinyoung knew that if he ever did hurt Mark, he would probably have to go through this guy and just going off their sheer body sizes, Jinyoung would lose terribly. 

The bodyguard nodded silently and came up to a door. On it, a piece of paper with the words in bold “ARTIST” and underneath read “Ruby Atlas.” Jinyoung grinned as the bodyguard pushed open the door and he saw Mark sitting on a couch across the room. 

Mark was leaning on the back of the couch cushion, scrolling through something on his phone while a guy, who Jinyoung assumed was Jackson, was hitting his drumsticks on his thighs as if he was playing. Jackson noticed Jinyoung first and grinned, his hands stopped drumming and he elbowed Mark. The blonde looked at Jackson to see what was going on but saw that Jackson was looking across the room and followed his stare to find Jinyoung. His face lit up and a smile bloomed over his lips.

Mark got up and ran over to him, wrapping his arms around Jinyoung’s neck as soon as he was close enough. Jinyoung pulled him into a hug and he could feel Mark smiling into his skin. They hadn’t been able to see each other in the past week and it felt good to have Mark back in his arms. He couldn’t help but smile too. 

The feeling of a new relationship was warm and electric. Jinyoung felt like he was over the moon as Mark connected their lips, kissing him softly. When he pulled back, Jinyoung said, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Mark kissed him again, this time just a simple peck. 

“I guess you missed me,” Jinyoung said with an amused smile and Mark pushed at his chest. “Shut up, you missed me too.”

Jinyoung looked him over and saw what Mark was wearing, “Is that my shirt?”

“I swear to god, he hasn’t taken it off since he came home with it,” Jackson said with rolled eyes. Jinyoung raised his brow in question, amusement seeping into his features.

Scoffing, Mark replied, “That’s not true!”

Mark lowered his arms from Jinyoung’s neck and instead took Jinyoung’s hand into his. He led them back to the couch where he was before and said, “This is the first time I’ve worn it since that first day, thank you very much.”

Jackson’s eyes widened as if he didn’t believe what Mark was saying, “Yeah, okay.”

The drummer leaned over Mark and put his hand out, “I’m Jackson by the way, but I’m sure Mark’s told you all about me.”

Jinyoung shook his hand with an amused expression. Jackson was just as Mark described him. “Jinyoung, and yes he has. The good, the bad and the dirty.”

“The dirty?” Jackson looked like a mixture of impressed and surprised. Yugyeom came over from from the snack table with a bag of chips and said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the only thing Mark told him about you.”

Jackson pouted, “Hey! I’m a clean person! I shower everyday!”

Mark laughed and leaned into Jinyoung, who had an arm around his shoulders. Bambam came to sit next to Yugyeom and said in a condescending tone, “I somehow have this funny feeling that none of them were talking about your hygiene habits.”

Jackson stuck his tongue out at the pink haired guitarist and Yugyeom said, “Yeah he probably told Jinyoung about you and Mark’s experimentation days in college.”

Next to him, Jinyoung felt Mark gasp and Jinyoung was surprised himself. The only thing he meant by his comment was Mark’s tellings of their tour where he kept walking in on Jackson. Apparently the drummer forgot to lock the door on the bathroom a lot.

“Okay, I have not heard about that,” Jinyoung admitted and saw the way that Bambam and Jackson smirked whereas Yugyeom laughed at Mark’s scared expression. 

“Well,” Jackson said, drawing out the syllables of the word and Mark shook his head trying to stop him. “Way back when in college, when I still thought I was straight---”

“Oh please no,” Mark mumbled and Jinyoung grinned.

“--- Me and Mark started fooling around,” Jackson said, clearly entertained by his best friend’s reaction. “I kept saying that because we were roommates we should like help each other out, you know?”

“But in reality he was just a horny college kid who wanted someone to touch his dick,” Mark commented.

“Hey! You still did it!” Jackson defended. Jinyoung was laughing at their interaction, his thumb stroking over Mark’s shoulder.

“Duh, I was also a horny college student who wanted his dick touched,” Mark said like it was obvious. He looked to Jinyoung and said, “But Jackson sucks at handjobs, so it was horrible.”

Jinyoung grinned at how Bambam nodded as if he knew as well, “He’s also a terrible top.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Mark pointed out and Jackson’s jaw was hanging as if he couldn’t believe this mutiny.

Jinyoung’s eyes narrowed, trying to piece this together. “So have you all…?”

“Nah, not all of us,” Jackson said, understanding what Jinyoung was suggesting. “Mark and I only happened because it was college and we were lonely and then Bam and I because tour is hard, literally.” Bambam grinned, shaking his head. “But Yugyeom and I never happened.”

“And the rest of us kept to ourselves because we’re smart,” Mark finished. Yugyeom nodded and Bambam smirked. 

“You only say that because I bought you a vibrator in our sophomore year and you stopped needing me after that,” Jackson said, crossing his arms defiantly. 

Mark leaned his head on Jinyoung’s shoulder, looking up to him with a smile, “See what I have to deal with every day?”

Smiling back at him before kissing Mark softly, he felt Mark’s warm hand come up to rest on his cheek. And then Bambam’s groan of, “You’re so disgustingly cute.”

Mark pulled away with a wide smirk and said, “You’re goddamn right we are.”

“So where’s my tall dark and handsome?” Jackson asked, his hands started moving again. He wasn’t even paying attention to the fact that he was using his thighs as drums. 

“He’s in his seat,” Jinyoung replied. “He’s coming after the show.”

“Part of me wants to see Jackson make a complete fool of himself and the other wants to leave as soon as possible,” Mark said, making Jackson frown. 

“I second that,” Bambam agreed, leaning back.

Their drummer rolled his eyes dramatically and crossed his arms, “I can’t believe you don’t have faith in me.”

 

Once their manager signaled that they had 5 minutes until they went on, Mark turned to him and said, “Are you sure you want to be side stage? You’ll have to stand for like two hours and everyone will be running around and it’ll be loud and---”

Jinyoung kissed him silent. He pulled back and held Mark’s face within his hands, “I don’t care. I want to see you play.”

He smiled at how Mark’s eyes shined bright and Mark nodded, “Okay.”

They walked hand in hand towards the stage. Jinyoung could hear the crowd as soon as they left the dressing room. They were chanting something and Jinyoung grinned when he realized they were saying Ruby Atlas over and over again. They reached the stage and one of their staff members handed Mark his bass. It was a dark shade of violet with black accents. Under the strings, “93” was stickered in bold black numbers. 

Mark lifted the bass over his head, settling the guitar strap over his shoulder. They were only about 10 feet from the stage, any closer and the fans would be able to see them. Mark was putting his in-ears in and everyone was running around them, making sure that everyone had everything they needed. It was dim, but Jinyoung could still make out Mark’s features in front of him. 

“You good?” Mark asked, his hand resting on Jinyoung’s chest. He nodded. Mark leaned in and kissed him. “You can leave if it gets too boring or whatever.”

“I’ll be here,” Jinyoung affirmed. 

He heard, “Mark! We’re going, come on!”

And the blonde left. The screams as the four of them walked on stage were deafening. Jinyoung watched as Mark’s face lit up as he looked out into the crowd. Bambam played a riff and somehow the screams go even louder.

He heard Jackson’s “1, 2, 3” and suddenly music was blaring through the speakers. Mark was playing across the stage. The order was Bambam closest to him, Yugyeom and Jackson in the middle and then Mark. The blonde was bobbing his head, looking down into the crowd with a smile as his fingers plucked the strings. 

Mark’s smile was beautiful. It was different from the way that he looked at Jinyoung. There was a different kind of passion in his eyes. He leaned into the mic a few times and Jinyoung noticed Bambam doing the same, providing back up vocals. 

A few songs in and the members stopped to introduce themselves. Yugyeom’s voice was soaring through the arena, “Good evening LA!”

“It’s been a minute since we’ve played here, we missed you!” Jackson threw in. He pointed to different people in the crowd and at first Jinyoung was surprised he knew all these people but then he realized it was just fanservice. “Especially you and you and you and you and all of you on the second floor!”

Mark held onto his mic with two hands and said, “As always, we’re Ruby Atlas!”

“If you know this one, sing along,” Bambam said. 

And that must have been a cue or something because all of a sudden they all started playing again and before Yugyeom had even leaned into the mic, the fans were singing. It must have been a well known song. 

Mark put his foot up on the speaker at the edge of the stage and grinned out at the fans, singing along with them. When the bridge came he stood up on the speaker and held his mic out, asking the fans to sing with him. 

Jinyoung couldn’t stop smiling. Mark was truly in his element. Jinyoung suddenly couldn’t see him as anything else but a musician. This was his calling. The way he ran around stage, doing little spins here and there, running up onto Jackson’s platform and jumping off of it, and all while still playing. Everything looked effortless and fun. 

There was one moment about halfway through that Jinyoung’s heart stilled. The fans seemed to know exactly what was going on as Bambam stood in the middle of the stage and Mark came over to Jinyoung’s side, grinning widely at him. Something shined in his boyfriend’s eyes before he was turning around. Mark started running and Bambam bent over. All of sudden, Mark was in the air, his back to Bambam as he flipped over the guitarist. 

Jinyoung felt his heart in his throat before Mark landed and then continued to jump around. Bambam went back to his side of stage and got close to the audience, Yugyeom jumping up and down on a platform in front of his mic stand. No one else looked as concerned as Jinyoung. He felt someone’s stare and found Jackson laughing at him. But in a second, the drummer eyes were back on the crowd. 

Every once in a while, Mark would sneak glances at Jinyoung as if he was wondering if Jinyoung was still there. But every time, Jinyoung would only smile back at the blonde and his boyfriend would smile to himself and pretend he was looking at something else. 

After a while, Mark was standing on the speaker next to the stage and waving his hands. The crowd caught on quick and he held his mic and said, “Let me hear you sing this next part.”

And like clockwork, they did. The whole arena, all 18,000 of them, were singing along so loudly that even Jinyoung could tell what they were saying. Mark’s smile was so wide it made Jinyoung smile, proud of his boyfriend. The song ended and the lights dimmed. And all of a sudden the members were around Jinyoung, switching out instruments and grabbing water and getting patted down with towels. 

Mark’s eyes flashed with a smile as he took all of his thirty seconds of freetime to down a bottle of water. Jinyoung said the only thing he could think of, “You look amazing out there.”

The blonde grinned. A bass was being brought over his head and he put his in-ears back in as he said, “Thanks babe.”

And then he was running back on stage, the screams louder than ever before. They played only a few songs after that. The fans seemed to know these the best, Jinyoung couldn’t see a single fan not singing along. 

For the second to last song, Bambam asked for the fans to turn the flash on their phones on and suddenly the arena transformed into a starry night sky. This song was lower tempoed but that didn’t mean that the band was any less lively. Jinyoung swore he saw a few fans wiping tears from their cheeks.

The last song was a total 180. It was fast paced and heavy. Mark and Bambam came on either side of Yugyeom to sing into Yugyeom’s mic and then switched sides, running all over the place. It was so cute watching Mark interact with fans, Jinyoung saw how he smiled at them and it made even his heart thump. 

At last, the lights dimmed again and the band was all around him again but this time they were discarding their instruments and in-ears. Mark ran up to Jinyoung and brought his arms out like he was going to hug Jinyoung but then pulled back. “Sorry, I’m all sweaty and gross.”

And he was, his fringe was damp and sticking to his forehead and his chest under his tank top was glowing with sweat. But Jinyoung pulled him in for a hug anyways. “I don’t care.”

He felt Mark’s lips turn into a smile on his neck and then Mark stepped back, only to bring his arms around Jinyoung’s shoulders and kissing him quickly. “Sorry that I’m like all over you, I’m really hyped up on adrenaline right now.”

Jinyoung smiled and touched Mark’s sweaty cheek, “It’s okay, I really don’t mind.”

Mark was bouncing on his heels, smile as wide as his face as he leaned in again. Admittedly, Mark’s lips were salty and kind of gross but they were still Mark’s and for that Jinyoung cherished them. But as Mark pulled back he said, “Okay, I gotta shower before I crash.”

Not quite understanding his boyfriend, Jinyoung tilted his head and Mark took his hand, leading them back to the dressing room. “Basically I’m on a really big adrenaline high right now but I also just played a two hour show so in about 5 minutes I’m going to have all the energy sucked out of me and you know, maybe die.”

The last part was clearly a joke but Jinyoung’s eyes widened. Mark laughed at him as they entered the dressing room and then said, “Don’t worry, I won’t actually die. I once fell asleep in the shower though.” 

Jinyoung smiled at the thought and then Mark was grabbing a towel and slipping into the other room. He got a text from Jaebum then that said, _where do I go again?_

He looked up and located Mark’s bodyguard and asked him before replying, _there should be a door on the right side of the pit to a room?? I just asked idk but their bodyguard will meet you there._

Within a minute, Jaebum texted back. _Cool thanks_

A few minutes later, Jinyoung’s best friend was walking through the door. He saw Jinyoung and nodded as a greeting. “Hey, where is everybody?”

He sat down next to Jinyoung on the couch and Jinyoung said, “Showering, they just got off stage.”

Jaebum nodded again, understandingly this time. But then he sat up. “When did you start dating Mark, by the way? One second you were single and boring and the next you’re dating Mark Tuan like, what the fuck?”

“I wasn’t boring,” Jinyoung said with a smile, nudging Jaebum with his shoulder and Jaebum looked at him like are you serious? “Okay fine, I was a little boring.”

“You didn’t do anything but eat, sleep and act. I’d say that’s more than a little boring,” Jaebum countered. 

Rolling his eyes, Jinyoung said, “I don’t know, we met and just clicked I guess?” He shrugged.

“I just can’t believe that out of all my friends, you’re the one dating a member of Ruby Atlas,” Jaebum shook his head. 

“And why’s that? Because you were trying to?” Jinyoung teased and Jaebum narrowed his eyes. “Honestly I didn’t even know who Ruby Atlas was until I was driving Mark home.”

Groaning, Jaebum said, “See? That’s exactly why. Even if you did know who they were, I didn’t think you’d go for Mark.”

“Why?” Came Mark’s voice. He was in clean clothes and he hair was wet. But Jinyoung smiled as he saw that Mark changed back into his shirt. “You didn’t think he was into cute blondes? Because I could be brunette if you wanted me too.”

He grinned and plopped himself into Mark’s lap. Jinyoung laughed, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and kissing the back of Mark’s shoulder. “No, I like you blonde.”

Jinyoung saw Mark grinning at Jaebum and his best friend was looking between them like it just now hit him that they were dating. 

“This is so weird, I can’t believe my best friend is dating you,” Mark cocked his head, his expression amused. And Jaebum tried to explain, “I mean, not because you’re you--- well, actually yeah because you’re you. That makes no sense, I don’t know what I’m saying.”

Mark didn’t even seem phased by Jaebum’s word vomit and extended his hand, “Hi, I’m Mark. Bass player and Park Jinyoung’s boyfriend.”

Jinyoung laughed again, squeezing Mark in his arms. He thought it was cute that Mark introduced himself as his boyfriend again.

Jaebum took his hand and shook it with a bemused expression, “Jaebum. Actor and fanboy. Also Jinyoung’s best friend.”

“Good to meet you,” Mark said calmly. But as Jinyoung leaned his head in between his boyfriend’s shoulder blades, he could feel how fast Mark’s heart was beating. He found Mark’s other hand and wrapped his hand around Mark’s slim fingers. His boyfriend took Jinyoung’s hand into his. Jinyoung wondered if Mark’s heart was beating this fast when they met. Or if his hands got sweaty like this. He smiled at how nervous Mark must have been but he pulled off such a confident face just like now.

“Same,” Jaebum agreed. 

Just then the other members started pouring into the room. Jackson came out last, sporting a tight tank top and shorts that Jinyoung thought he must have worn just to show off his body to Jaebum. He smirked and Mark got up, “Well, that’s our cue to leave.”

He didn’t let go of Jinyoung’s hand as he picked up his wallet and phone from the table. 

From the other side of the room, Yugyeom asked with a smirk, “Not coming home tonight?”

“Nope,” Mark said smugly. The singer shook his head, “Have fun.”

“Thanks,” The blonde beamed and Jinyoung felt his hand get squeezed. He waved and said, “It was nice to meet you.”

Yugyeom smiled back, waving. 

The bodyguard, who was named Zack as Jinyoung came to find out, led them out of the arena. Jinyoung parked in an area away from the tour buses to avoid fans, but it wasn’t too far of a walk. Mark was wearing an oversized red hoodie, with the hood up in case he got recognized. 

The drive home was lonely as Mark fell asleep almost as soon as they got on the freeway. But Jinyoung couldn’t help but sneak glances here and there at his sleeping boyfriend. Mark’s lips were parted and his whole face was soft and expressionless. He looked at peace. 

Jinyoung woke him up with a gentle shake of Mark’s thigh. The blonde slowly came to. With a soft smile and even softer words meant to not startle his barely awake boyfriend, Jinyoung asked, “Do you want me to carry you again?”

Rubbing his eyes, Mark shook his head. Jinyoung squeezed his thigh before getting out the car. Mark quickly followed. He leaned on Jinyoung during the elevator ride and then as soon as Jinyoung walked through the front door, Mark was all over him.

In between kisses, Jinyoung asked, “Where did all this energy come from?”

Mark was taking off his hoodie and letting it fall onto the ground as he slid Jinyoung’s cardigan off. 

“I napped,” He smiled as if that made everything make sense. Jinyoung internally shrugged. He was tired but he wasn’t about to say no to this. Just as Mark got his shirt off and started unbuttoning Jinyoung’s pants, Jinyoung picked up him and carried him to the wall of windows. He pushed Mark’s bare back against the pane of glass and heard Mark hiss at the cold. 

“Sorry, baby,” He whispered as he slipped Mark’s pants off and Mark mumbled an, “It’s okay,” into his mouth. 

Jinyoung palmed at Mark’s cock between them and then brought it into his hand, stroking the length slowly. He felt Mark’s soft moan against his lips and smiled. Jinyoung was only stroking lazily, enough to make Mark want more but not enough to get him anywhere. 

Apparently the blonde had enough teasing when his hands moved from Jinyoung’s neck and then down to push Jinyoung’s pants past his hips. Jinyoung laughed to himself as he kissed against Mark’s jaw. He felt slim hands pull him out of his briefs and asked playfully, “Is that what you want?”

His voice was low and teasing and Mark nodded feverently. The only problem with fucking Mark against the wall was that all of his needed supplies were in his bedroom. So he said, “Let me go grab some lube. I want you totally naked when I get back.”

Jinyoung saw Mark’s eyes darken with lust and for a moment he almost didn’t leave. But when he came back, he saw Mark looking out the glass and came up behind him. Jinyoung pressed his body up against Mark’s and kissed the back of his neck. “Enjoying the view?”

Mark brought his hand up, pulling Jinyoung’s face to his so that he could close the gap between their lips and then said, “Yeah, but I’d like it even more with you inside me.”

At that, Jinyoung grinned and got to work. 

Three fingers later and Mark had his forehead against the window, his breath fogging up the glass. His hands were pressed into the window in front of his chest, trying to keep his balance as Jinyoung fingered him. “Fuckfuckfuck.”

Jinyoung smirked into Mark’s shoulder as he felt the way his boyfriend squirmed under his touch. At this point he was just teasing Mark, rubbing against his prostate and then pulling away when Mark moaned too loudly. 

“Just, oh my god, just fuck me,” Mark moaned out as he rocked back onto Jinyoung’s fingers. Jinyoung grinned and kissed up Mark’s neck, leaving little marks here and there. He heard the moans that followed and decided to finally give Mark what he wanted. 

As he pulled out his fingers, Mark made a noise and Jinyoung laughed, “I thought you wanted me to stop?”

“I did,” Mark pouted as he rested his head against the glass, eyes heavy on Jinyoung. He watched Jinyoung put on the condom and said, “But now I feel empty. I want something else inside me.”

Jinyoung went back to his place behind Mark and held his cock, rubbing the head against Mark’s entrance. He whispered into Mark’s soft skin, “Something like this?”

He felt Mark try to push back onto it as his boyfriend nodded eagerly. Being too tired to wait any longer, Jinyoung thrusted in and held one of Mark’s hips for stability. He closed his eyes as the feeling of the warm heat surrounding his cock, “Fuck you feel so good.”

It took him a few moments to locate Mark’s prostate, thrusting at different angles as his boyfriend’s moans got louder and louder until, “Oh shit, oh god yes.”

“Right there, baby?” Jinyoung said, mimicking his previous thrust and Mark moaned louder, his lips trembling. Jinyoung grinned.

He managed to keep hitting the right spot over and over again, and Mark was gripping at nothing on the glass, trying to get something to hold on to as he was being pounded into. Jinyoung put his hand over Mark’s and curled his fingers in between Mark’s sprawled out ones.

He heard the same rough moans from the time before and brought his other hand to Mark’s cock. He found it pressed up against the window and smearing precum as Jinyoung thrusted up into him. Jinyoung started stroking it and felt how Mark’s body tensed up. “Shit, I’m so close.”

Jinyoung pressed open mouthed kissed along the back of Mark’s shoulder, silently encouraging his boyfriend as he stroked him faster. Mark’s moans got louder and Jinyoung moaned with him, “Yeah, just like baby. Let go.”

And he did, Jinyoung felt Mark’s cock twitch in his hand before he was spilling onto the glass. Jinyoung breathed into his boyfriend’s skin, closing his eyes as he thrusted harder. It was only a moment later when he was moaning as he came, “Fuck baby fuck.” 

Afterwards, he felt Mark take his hand and properly hold it. Lacing their fingers together, Mark brought the hand around himself. Jinyoung followed suit, moving his other arm to hug Mark from behind as they caught their breath. 

“Sleep?” He breathed. 

“Sleep,” Mark nodded.

Moving from an embrace to only holding Mark’s hand, they left from the window and started walking towards Jinyoung’s room. 

“Are you just going to let that dry on your window?” Mark asked, looking back at his cum dripping down the glass.

Waving his hand lazily, Jinyoung replied, “I’ll clean it tomorrow.”

He was too tired to fix it now. Mark laughed next to him and squeezed his hand.

The next morning, Jinyoung woke up with Mark curled into his side. He smiled at the blonde in front of him, breathing softly into his chest. This seemed to be the way that Mark preferred to sleep. If Jinyoung was honest, he thought that Mark would have rather spooned. With Jinyoung pressed against his back, Jinyoung would have thought that would be warmer. But, maybe Mark just liked feeling close.

Maybe it was less about the warmth and more about being surrounded completely by Jinyoung. He had Jinyoung’s chest in front of him, his arm under Mark’s head, his legs around Mark’s, and Jinyoung’s arms around him. Either way, it was cute and Jinyoung didn’t mind the sleeping position at all.

“Why are you staring at me?” Mark said, one eye peeking out through his fringe. 

Jinyoung smiled and carded his hand through Mark’s hair so he could see his eyes. “I was just thinking about how cute you look all snuggled up.”

“It’s warm,” Mark retorted as he smiled. 

“Wouldn’t spooning be warmer?” Jinyoung brought his thoughts into words. He curled his arm and held Mark tighter. The blonde’s eyes closed. He looked so comfortable. Jinyoung kissed his hair without even thinking.

“Maybe,” Mark’s eyes furrowed. “But I like it like this. I can feel your heartbeat and hear your breathing above me. It’s very soothing.”

Ah, so it was about sleep. Jinyoung rubbed his back gently and played with Mark’s hair. 

“Plus, the way you hold me,” Mark’s cheeks warmed. “You hold me like I’m yours.”

He hid his face after that and Jinyoung felt his heart swell. He was so glad he took a chance on Mark. It had only been a week but if he was this happy now, Jinyoung couldn’t imagine how happy they’d be down the road. 

“You are mine,” Jinyoung commented. 

“I love hearing you say that,” Mark replied, his voice sincere. “I’ll never get used to it.”

“Good,” Jinyoung said, reaching to grab his phone. He sighed. They had to get out of bed now if he wanted to make it to set on time. 

“You have to go, don’t you?” Mark asked, looking up.

Jinyoung nodded regretfully. “I have to be on set early today.”

“I wonder what a movie set looks like,” Mark thought out loud as he got up, pushing his hair back.

“You can come visit me sometime, if you want,” Jinyoung said, kissing Mark’s cheek and getting out of bed. As he walked to the bathroom he heard Mark saying, “Really?”

He looked back and nodded with a smug smile, “It’s a closed set but you’re my boyfriend and I’m the lead actor so I don’t think it’d be too hard to get you in.”

Jinyoung saw stars in Mark’s eyes and grinned as he turned on the water of the shower. A moment later, Mark was getting into the shower with him. “Will you dry my hair again today?”

With a grin, Jinyoung nodded. “Sure, baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story is coming together so nicely. I'm happy about the progress of it, I hope you are too.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took longer than usual! i flew out to see ziont in dallas and didn't have time to write :) also rip i hate how ao3 makes me manually italicize everything so if i miss something im sorry!!!

Mark sat in an office building. More specifically, it was his record label’s office. Him and the other members were talking about their new album and what the next year would look like for them. 

It was the end of spring and the band was being booked for summer festivals with a European tour in August. They were going to release a warm up single at the end of this month and then tour with that. At the end of their summer promotions, they would release another song and then the album in October. And then start a North American tour in January. It all seemed pretty standard.

Usually Mark didn’t care when they toured but he couldn’t help but be pleased that his band’s schedule didn’t conflict too much with his boyfriend’s. It was only the European tour that didn’t work well. But Mark knew that he had to make sacrifices. Their relationship was built on distance apart anyways.

They had only been together a month but Mark knew he was falling for Jinyoung. He felt it whenever he would see Jinyoung. The way that his heart would skip a beat when Jinyoung smiled at him. How it would swell three sizes too big when Jinyoung would kiss him. It was obvious to Mark.

Their label representative was going over everything with them, asking if they knew what songs they wanted on the album. Jackson spoke up, “We know about half for sure but the others are pretty up in the air.”

The representative nodded and said, “I want your top 3 strongest songs on the album sent to my office by tomorrow to be considered for the singles and then about 10 song options for the other songs you’re not sure about in two months.”

They all nodded. It was standard procedure. They could release an album tomorrow with all the songs they’ve stockpiled. It wouldn’t be that great, but it would be an album. Mark looked out the window. He was bored. His missed Jinyoung. But Jinyoung was filming.

And then it hit him that the set Jinyoung was filming at wasn’t too far away. He grinned as he pulled his phone out and texted Alex, _what type of coffee does jinyoung like?_

Not even a minute later, Alex replied with _Iced americano with vanilla if its hot and caramel macchiato with nutmeg if its cold_

_Why?_

_Wait are you coming to set? Jinyoung didn’t tell me_

Mark smiled down at his phone and said, _he doesnt know im just in the area and wanted to surprise him. is that ok??_

Next to him, Yugyeom nudged him with his elbow. And Mark looked up to see their rep waiting expectantly for an answer from him. When Mark smiled awkwardly and made it obvious that he wasn’t paying attention, the girl sighed and repeated herself. “Do you have any suggestions on what the single this month should be? Or the one in August?”

Mark thought for a second before saying, “Ocean Blues for this month’s. It has a nice summer vibe and the weather would be great for a music video right now. But for August’s, I don’t know.”

Bambam nodded and said, “I think we’re all thinking Ocean Blues but I don’t think we have a song that any of us feel strongly enough about for the second single.”

“We could write a new song for it,” Jackson shrugged. 

“Like on tour!” Yugyeom grinned. “I feel like we write some of our best songs on tour.”

Mark looked back at his phone. A message from Alex was waiting for him.

_Tell me when you’re here and I’ll meet you at the front gate. I sent you the address._

Mark felt himself smiling again and then heard a sigh. “Is that okay with you, Mark?”

His head snapped up and he realized he was supposed to answer but he didn’t hear the question again. 

“Write a new song on tour for the second single in August?” He nodded right away.

“Okay, fine,” She said dismissively. “You all can go, but Mark stay behind.”

He felt his blood turn cold. Fuck. Was he really going to be told off for texting in a meeting?

Everyone left and Mark felt all their stares as they did.

She wrote down what they said in her notebook and asked, “Are you dating someone, Mark?”

He tilted his head to the side. Was she trying to set him up with someone? He was confused.

“Uh,” Mark said, not sure how to answer. 

“It’s okay if you are,” She said, looking up from the notebook.

“Um, yeah I am,” He said. Usually he was quick to answer this question. He wished everyone could know that he was dating Jinyoung. He’d shout it on top of rooftops if he could. Mark was very proud of his relationship but something felt weird. He didn’t know why she was asking.

“I could tell,” She said, her eyes flickering to the phone in Mark’s hand. 

He smiled sheepishly. He felt bad for being distracted.

“How long?” She asked and he answered, “About a month.”

“Is it serious or just something casual?” 

It was serious, right? They were exclusive. And Jinyoung spent all of his free time with Mark. He sometimes prioritized Mark over sleep. And sometimes Mark came over just to sleep. It was cute when Mark would pout about not seeing Jinyoung that week and Jinyoung would respond with, “Then come over. Sleep in my bed with me and I’ll drive you home tomorrow.” And that was truly all they did. It felt like their relationship was getting serious. Mark thought of his relationship as prospectively long term. 

“Uh, serious,” He finally answered. She nodded to herself.

Just then, Mark’s phone screen lit up. It was just reminding him that he had a text but her eyes honed in on it. “Is that them? As your lock screen?”

Mark felt himself blush, half proud and half embarrassed. His lock screen was in fact Jinyoung. But it was him and Jinyoung with ice cream from last week’s date. Mark was smiling at the camera and Jinyoung was looking at him with a soft smile. “Yeah.”

She opened her hand, “Can I see?”

He felt his cheeks warm. The label knew all of their sexualities. They knew he liked men. It was just a part of signing to a big company, they didn’t have much of a choice but to tell them. So that was a bit of a relief. At least she was probably expecting to see a guy, but still. He felt worried.

Mark nodded and gave her his phone. She tapped the screen and saw Jinyoung and him. Her eyes widened in shock, “Is this--? Are you--? Park Jinyoung?”

He grinned proudly. “Yeah, Jinyoung’s my boyfriend.”

“I didn’t even know he was gay,” She said, still shocked. She looked down at the phone again and smiled. “I love the way he looks at you. It’s cute.”

Mark’s blush deepened as he said with a smile, “Me too.”

And then she said, “You know you have to keep this hidden, right?” 

He nodded, looking down. “I know.”

“If the fans found out that any of you liked men…,” She left the last part hanging. They both knew the consequences. 

“I know,” He said again. “I didn’t plan on being obvious about it.”

She nodded understandably and then asked, “Is that who you were texting during our meeting?”

Her voice sounded like she was scolding him but her expression was playful. Mark shook his head, “No, I was texting his manager. I was going to go surprise him on set after this.”

“He’s shooting something right now?” She looked hopeful. Mark smiled. He was proud that everyone knew who his boyfriend was. He was proud that everyone liked his movies. He was just proud of Jinyoung in general. 

Mark nodded and her eyes brightened. “Well then I’m excited to see it when it comes out. Just be careful, okay?”

“Okay,” He replied. 

 

As he stepped outside, Mark made the executive decision that it was too cold for an iced drink. He was glad he grabbed an oversized hoodie on his way out. Mark wondered if he should buy Jinyoung more hoodies just to steal them from him. He was wearing one of Jinyoung shirts and even under the hoodie, he could smell Jinyoung’s cologne. It made him feel safe and warm.

He grabbed coffee for him and Jinyoung and made his way to the movie set, texting Alex that he was there. At the front, he got weird looks from the security and Mark awkwardly smiled. Alex came and waved Mark over. He nodded to the guards and said, “He’s with me.”

They scrunched up their eyes, looking from Mark to Alex and then shrugged. Alex walked him through set until they finally made it to a soundstage that had the interior of some type of restaurant. 

Alex pointed and Mark saw Jinyoung sitting in a booth with a girl across from him. Jinyoung reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His gaze was charming and handsome but Mark felt a little smug knowing that it had no depth to it. There was no real affection or warmth to it. Jinyoung always looked at him with so many layers of emotion. What Mark was seeing right now wasn’t even comparable.

The director yelled cut and then announced a five minute break. Mark grinned as he waited for Jinyoung to leave the set. He stuck around and talked to the actress, probably communicating with her about some actor thing that Mark knew nothing about. But Mark saw how she fluttered her eyelashes at Jinyoung and he either didn’t notice or didn’t care, which Mark felt smug about. That was his boyfriend. 

Eventually they moved off set and Jinyoung’s eyes landed on Mark. A soft, yet surprised smile blossomed on his lips and Mark felt himself swoon. Fuck, his boyfriend was handsome. 

“Hi baby, what are you doing here?” Jinyoung asked, leaning in for a kiss.

Mark’s hand instinctively raised as if he was going to touch Jinyoung’s cheek but remembered the coffee in his hands. “I was in the area so I brought you coffee.”

Jinyoung took the coffee from his hand and said, “You’re so sweet, thank you.”

He took a sip and Mark felt his heart still, did he get the right one? But Jinyoung smiled, pleasantly surprised and asked, “How did you know--?”

“Alex,” Mark admitted and Jinyoung took another sip with a grin. 

“Wow, my boyfriend is both sweet and smart,” Jinyoung said, reaching for Mark’s now empty hand. He linked their pinkies together and Mark felt his heart flutter.

“Thanks, I try,” He said with an air of fake cockiness. 

Jinyoung grinned, laughing as he took another sip. He motioned behind his shoulder and said, “Are you sticking around or are you leaving after this?”

“I’ll probably go,” Mark said. “I just missed you. I haven’t seen you for a few days and your scent is fading on all of the clothes I stole.”

At that Jinyoung laughed, his eyes creasing. “Do you want to sleep over tonight?”

Mark’s eyes widened and if he had to guess, they were probably sparkling. He nodded eagerly.

“Okay,” Jinyoung kissed him again, his thumb brushing over Mark’s cheek. And there was that look that Mark was thinking about before. He could see the depth of affection that Jinyoung held for him in his eyes. “But you have to return everything you stole.”

Mark felt his face fall as he pouted, sticking out his bottom lip. Jinyoung laughed at him and said, “I’m going to have nothing to wear soon if you keep taking all of my clothes and not bringing them back.”

“You could just buy more, you know,” Mark pointed out. 

But Jinyoung rolled his eyes, “You could just bring them back, you know.”

“Touche,” Mark sighed, defeated. 

At Mark’s dejected expression, Jinyoung wrapped his arms around Mark, pulling him into a hug. Mark melted into the touch and held his boyfriend close, breathing in his familiar scent. He missed this. 

Jinyoung whispered into his ear, “You can steal whatever you want, baby. You look cuter in my clothes than I do, I’ll be honest.”

Mark laughed into Jinyoung’s neck, feeling himself being pulled closer. Jinyoung let go just as the director called for him on set. 

“I’ll pick you up when I’m done?” Jinyoung asked. Mark nodded and Jinyoung kissed his forehead. 

He felt warmth radiating throughout his body as Mark watched Jinyoung walk back onto set. A couple of stylists moved his clothing around and powdered his face as Jinyoung listened to the director’s comments. Mark couldn’t stop smiling. 

And then he felt the stares of those around him, he glanced around and saw how people quickly looked away. The words Mark heard earlier repeated in his mind and he walked over to Alex, who was texting on his phone. 

“Hey Alex,” He got a noise as his response. Good enough, Mark thought. “Jinyoung was really affectionate with me, does that mean that everyone here knows about him?”

Alex’s lips tugged into a smile and he shook his head, “No, not at all. You guys really turned some heads.”

Mark felt his skin warm and he blinked a couple of times, “But they won’t, um say anything right?”

He watched as Alex shook his head and Mark felt relieved. “Everyone here is under contract. Everything that happens on this set stays on set. It’s a rule to help keep spoilers from leaking as well as saving people’s reputations.”

“Oh,” Mark said. “That’s good.”

“It’s not just who’s dating who as much as who’s a bitch a whatnot,” Alex shrugged. “But don’t worry. Jinyoung could kiss you for like 10 hours on set, in front of the rolling camera and no one would be able to say or do anything.”

Mark smiled at the thought. Alex heard his laugh and said, “Don’t get any ideas though. I don’t need to get yelled at by the production company.”

“Good to know, thanks Alex,” Mark said and Alex nodded and then stopped Mark.

“Hey, try to make sure Jinyoung gets enough sleep tonight,” Alex said and Mark looked at him with a confused expression.

“He hasn’t been sleeping well the last few nights, I think he’s having withdrawls.”

Mark tilted his head, amused. “From what?”

“You, apparently,” Alex said. “He’s way easier to work with when you stay over.”

Mark felt a blush spread across his cheeks and he smiled to himself. He went to respond but Alex was already walking away. Instead, Mark just sipped his coffee and left. He couldn’t wipe the smile of his face for an hour after that. 

 

When Jinyoung picked him up that night, it felt natural to Mark. They had gotten in a pattern that when it was too cold, Jinyoung would wait for him inside the car and when it was warm enough he would stand outside. Either way, Mark got a kiss. He didn’t let Jinyoung drive off without one and this day was no different.

Mark got in the car and before putting on his seat belt, leaned in and waited for Jinyoung to meet him halfway. He did. Mark felt Jinyoung’s warm hand on his cheek and could feel his heart thumping in his chest. Mark was seriously falling in love.

When Jinyoung pulled away, he didn’t move back too far. Only an inch or two. Mark saw how Jinyoung’s eyes swept over Mark’s face and it made him blush. He loved it when Jinyoung looked at him, when he knew that he had Jinyoung’s full and undivided attention. And then Jinyoung smiled softly, kissing him again before saying, “You know, with all the pink you wear I’d swear that was your favorite color and not red.”

He glanced down at Mark’s pink hoodie and Mark felt his cheeks warm, “It actually is my favorite color.”

Jinyoung raised an eyebrow in question.

“Well, they both are. But sometimes I like pink more and sometimes I like red more,” Mark tried to explain, hoping it made sense.

His boyfriend nodded as he shifted gears and started driving, “Good to know.”

 

After they got to Jinyoung’s place, Mark saw Jinyoung make his way into his kitchen. And then saw Jinyoung frown and say under his breath, “Shit.”

“What, babe?” Mark asked, coming up from behind him. He placed a hand on Jinyoung’s back and looked around, trying to find the cause of his boyfriend’s distress. 

“I forgot to order food for tonight and now that I’m home I don’t want to leave again,” Jinyoung said. Mark could tell that his boyfriend was thinking about what he should do. 

Over the course of dating for a month or so, Mark picked up that Jinyoung didn’t make food very often. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, one time Jinyoung made crepes for them and Mark almost died from how good they were, but he often was too tired to make a whole meal for himself. 

Mark shrugged, “I can go downstairs and get us sushi.”

They ate from that sushi place all the time and yet Mark was still not tired of it yet. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be, it was delicious. There were so many restaurants within walking distance but somehow they kept going back to this one shop.

“You sure?” Jinyoung asked, searching Mark’s eyes. “I can go, you don’t have to.”

But Mark shook his head and then kissed Jinyoung’s shoulder. “I don’t mind, really.”

Before Jinyoung could protest, Mark was already putting his shoes back on. He heard a sigh and knew that he had won. Jinyoung stood over him, watching him. “At least let me pay.”

Mark stood up and put his hands on Jinyoung’s chest for a second to kiss him and then say, “Nope.”

And he turned around and left the penthouse. As the elevator descended, Mark felt smug. Jinyoung was always doing things for him, for once he wanted to return the favor. Every once in a while he got to pay for Jinyoung but usually his boyfriend didn’t let him. Which he was fine with, Mark liked being spoiled.

Mark walked through the front door and grinned when he saw Charles, Jinyoung’s doorman. Ever since Mark thought he was being funny and said hi to Charles after Jinyoung did, he always made a point to say hi when he passed. 

“Hi, Charles,” Mark smiled as Charles held the door open for him. Mark still couldn’t believe that Jinyoung lived in a building so nice that it needed a doorman, but he couldn’t say he didn’t feel special with someone opening the door for him.

“Hello Mark,” Charles said back. About two weeks ago, Charles asked for his name and Mark asked him to only call him by his first name. He felt too old being called by his last name. He liked that Jinyoung’s doorman thought he was important enough to want to know his name. “Not leaving with Mr. Park tonight?”

Mark shook his head, “Nope, he’s upstairs. I’m being a nice boyfriend and grabbing him dinner.”

Charles smiled sweetly. “I’m sure he appreciates it.”

Leaving the building and walking a few feet down, Mark opened up the door to their favorite sushi place. He waited in line and looked at the menu. It hit him that Mark had never actually been inside. He’d seen the place when they drove by but Alex or Jinyoung always made the order. 

“One shrimp tempura roll and one avocado roll, please,” Mark said, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. He took his card out and looked up to see the cashier girl with wide eyes. “You’re the avocado roll.”

He gave her a weird look and then her eyes flashed as if she realized that Mark had no idea what was going on, “Jinyoung always orders an avocado roll these days but I’ve never met the person who eats it.”

Mark blushed, “Oh, um yeah that’s me.”

He thought it was funny that she knew Jinyoung’s order so well. Anyone could have ordered a shrimp tempura roll with an avocado roll and yet she knew exactly who it was for. 

She smiled warmly and put the order in.

When it was ready, the same cashier handed it to him and said, “I always tell Jinyoung to treat you well, but this time I hope you treat him well too.”

Mark found himself smiling at her sincerity, “I will, don’t worry.”

 

He raised the bag at Charles to show him that he got the food and Charles laughed, “Have a good night.”

“You too!” Mark called as he walked into the lobby.

With all these people who interact with Jinyoung so frequently knowing who Mark was, he felt warm inside. Like he was truly a part of Jinyoung’s life now. But then Mark got into the elevator and Mark realized that he didn’t have Jinyoung’s code to get to his floor.

He pulled out his phone and called Jinyoung. Luckily, his boyfriend answered on the first ring, “Yeah, babe?”

“I don’t know your code, I can’t get up,” Mark said, feeling a little weird. He could go to the front desk and have Jinyoung buzz him in but he sort of hoped that Jinyoung would tell him the code. He wanted to know that Jinyoung trusted him. Maybe it was too much to ask after only dating for a month.

But Jinyoung replied quickly, “Oh shit, I forgot about that. It’s 0922, my birthday.”

A grin spread across Mark’s face as he punched in the code. “Our birthdays are only 18 days apart.”

“Good to know,” Jinyoung replied. Mark could hear the smile through his voice.

“I’ll be up in a second,” Mark said, hearing Jinyoung’s goodbye before hanging up.

 

After eating, they went to bed. As usual, Mark found himself next to Jinyoung in his arms. This was his favorite place to be. He never felt too cold when he had Jinyoung surrounding him like this. His boyfriend was rubbing his back rhythmically and Mark thought he was going to fall asleep before Jinyoung said, “Do you know how many girls came up to me asking about you?”

“About us?” Mark replied, looking up.

He saw Jinyoung shake his head, looking very amused. “No, just about you.”

Mark was confused. And then Jinyoung said in his best valley girl accent, “Was that Mark? Like Mark Tuan? From Ruby Atlas? How do you know him? Is he bi or like just gay? Are you guys a thing? Or is it just casual? What’s his type?”

After a few questions Mark was laughing, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh my god that’s so funny. What did you say to them?”

“Yes, that was Mark Tuan from Ruby Atlas. Yes, he’s gay and yes, he’s mine. His type is me and only me so, no I’m not going to give you his number,” Jinyoung said playfully, but there was an edge of seriousness to it. Mark liked the idea of Jinyoung telling everyone that Mark belonged to him. 

“What did they do?” Mark asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. 

Jinyoung wore a proud smile as he responded, “They looked annoyed and said something dumb like ‘why are all the hot ones gay.’”

Snuggling closer to Jinyoung, Mark said, “I’m so happy you’re my boyfriend. I had a meeting with our label today and they had me stay behind to ask about you.”

“Did they find out?” Jinyoung asked, his voice sounded surprised.

Mark shook his head, “No, I was texting Alex about what coffee to get you and I guess I looked too happy about it because they asked me outright if I was dating someone.”

“And did you tell them?”

“Mhm,” Mark replied. “They know I’m gay, the label I mean. Not the fans, that would be a shit storm. Basically they just said to be careful because if the fans found out my career would be over.”

He saw Jinyoung’s eyes widen, “Did they really say that?”

“No, they didn’t have to,” Mark said with a sad smile. “It’s true, though. Half of my image is appealing to teenage girl’s fantasies. If they knew they had no chance with me…”

Jinyoung’s face twisted into a frown, “But you’re so popular. Surely they would still support you.”

“Maybe,” Mark shrugged. “But I don’t want to put the band at jeopardy like that. It wouldn’t be fair to my friends. So I just have to deal with the fact that I can’t tell everyone that my boyfriend is super hot and that they should all be jealous of me for dating you.”

“Of you?” Jinyoung questioned with a grin. “Clearly you’re the hot one in our relationship.”

He was glad that Jinyoung changed the conversation. Mark didn’t really want to think about consequences at the moment. He pushed at Jinyoung’s chest and said, “Yeah okay, Mr. Top 100 Hottest Actors Alive.”

The list had just come out for that year and Jinyoung ranked #16. Mark bought a copy of the magazine to bring home and brag to his roommates. Jackson had taken the magazine out of his hands and flipped through to find that Jaebum was #22 and frowned. Mark took this opportunity to boast, “See? My boyfriend is hotter than yours!”

Jackson and Jaebum weren’t official yet. They had sex, a lot. Like a lot, a lot. As in, Mark had to call Jinyoung one night and ask if he could sleep over because they were being too loud. Jinyoung laughed the whole drive home when Mark explained why he needed to come over. 

But other than that and a few dates here and there, they weren’t anything more yet. Jinyoung could tell that Jaebum was getting antsy to call Jackson his boyfriend but Jackson wasn’t used to being committed to one person. But Mark knew that Jaebum was winning him over little by little.

“Whatever, babe,” Jinyoung said with an eyeroll. “You’re still way more handsome than me. Didn’t you just get asked to do a photoshoot for some prestigious magazine?”

Mark pouted, “But you do a million photoshoots.”

“Yeah, but I’m an actor,” Jinyoung said, pushing back Mark’s hair and feeling the soft strands under his touch. “I always have a camera pointed at me.”

“Fine,” Mark sighed dramatically. “We’re both hot, whatever.”

And Jinyoung kissed him. Mark could feel his grin through the kiss and smiled. And then he remembered something, “Speaking of being hot, when do you want me to come to Hawaii?”

Jinyoung’s eyes lit up as if he just remembered that was a thing. He was leaving in a few weeks for that new movie. From what Jinyoung was saying a week ago when he got the script, it was a romance comedy. Some guy gets on the wrong plane and ends up in Hawaii, meets a girl who claims she’s a tour guide (spoiler: she’s not) and then they end up on some wild adventure. 

“Honestly, whenever you want,” Jinyoung shrugged. “A few days, a week, I don’t care. Whatever fits in your schedule.”

Mark beamed at the idea of going to Hawaii for a whole week with Jinyoung. He thought about the dates that their label gave him that day. He was recording next week, shooting the music video a few days later and then releasing it. He had a few interviews and late show guestings sprinkled in following the release of the new song. 

“I can probably come for a week,” Mark decided. Jinyoung didn’t hide his smile. “Maybe the second week you’re filming?”

“Sounds good, baby,” Mark felt familiar lips press into his hair and closed his eyes at the comfort. “I’ll have my own place on the ocean. So you can stay there with me and do whatever you want during the day.”

“Can I come watch you film sometimes?” Mark asked, not sure about the rules from movie to movie. 

Jinyoung nodded, “Of course.”

“It’s a romance movie right?” Jinyoung nodded again. “Then can you promise me that you’ll kiss me three times for every on screen kiss?”

He saw Jinyoung’s lips stretch into an amused smile, obviously thinking that Mark was ridiculous. “I thought you didn’t care about that.”

“I don’t,” Mark said and Jinyoung looked like he didn’t believe him. “I don’t! I just want more kisses.”

Jinyoung rolled his eyes, “I should have known.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter is super cute!! i hope you look forward to it, but what was your favorite part of this chapter?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is really soft and really long ♡♡
> 
> I read through it a few times and kept adding more instead of editting so honestly there might be some mistakes, I'm sorry!!

The weeks leading up to Mark’s Hawaii trip were tiring. While he liked performing the new song and being interviewed for it, he also didn’t like that it mean long, tiring days. With radio appearances in the morning, interviews midday and late night show performances at night, Mark’s schedule was stacked. 

But he also couldn’t deny that he liked it when Jinyoung would text him that he was watching Mark on tv. It made him feel all warm and fluttery knowing that his boyfriend was watching. He loved getting back to the dressing room and seeing all the texts that Jinyoung would send him about how he liked the new song and how he thought that Mark looked sexy with his hair up.  
So there were benefits, at least.

Although, most of his time seeing Jinyoung was late at night. Their day dates were smothered between Jinyoung’s filming schedule and Mark’s single promotions. Their nights spent together felt like finally breathing after holding a breath for too long. Mark wouldn’t even care what they did or if they even talked, he just wanted to be next to Jinyoung. Mark just wanted to breathe the same air as him, to feel the warmth of his presence, to see the affection of his glance. After a long day, those were the moments that Mark looked forward to the most.

But when Jinyoung left for Hawaii, Mark felt his absence the most. He couldn’t just spam text his boyfriend how much he missed him and expect a “I’ll come pick you up” in response. Mark still did text Jinyoung how much he missed him but instead he got “I know, me too.” Which was nice, but nowhere near as good.

A few days after Jinyoung left for Hawaii, Mark found himself lying in his bed alone. He was cold, covered blankets and wishing that Jinyoung could warm him up. 

After debating whether or not he should bother Jinyoung, Mark grabbed his phone from the nightstand and typed three simple words.

_i miss you_

Mark frowned as he didn’t get the immediate response he was used to. Maybe Jinyoung was busy. A reply ended up coming through about 5 minutes later.

_I miss you too baby but what are you doing awake so late?_

It was only midnight, it wasn’t like Mark wasn’t used to staying up later than that anyways. But he felt happy just knowing that Jinyoung’s initial response was to worry about him.

_i cant sleep its too cold :(_

Jinyoung’s response was immediate and made Mark smile.

_Do you have enough blankets?_

He thought it was adorable how Jinyoung tried to problem solve for him.

_yeah but i wish i had you_

Mark exhaled, knowing that if his boyfriend was there he would be warm within seconds.

_I would teleport there and warm you up myself if I could._

Smiling at the cute response, Mark typed back quickly.

 _i know you would. i just sleep so much better in your arms :(_

He patiently waited for a response, feeling himself starting to get tired.

_Me too baby. I miss you so much, I can’t wait to see you in a few days._

Mark smiled and felt the warmth of Jinyoung’s words washing over him. 

_i bet you owe me a lot of kisses already_

He could imagine Jinyoung’s playful eyeroll perfectly.

_Only about 6 so far. But I’ll give you more, don’t worry._

Mark couldn’t stop smiling. He started typing something and then deleted it immediately. Those three little words were on his mind a lot lately, but this wasn’t the time to say them. Mark felt himself yawn.

_good lol im looking forward to it but im also getting sleepy so goodnight babe_

Jinyoung didn’t take too long to reply.

_goodnight baby, sweet dreams_

The last thing Mark remembered was smiling and typing back, _ill dream of you_

 

Around mid afternoon the next day, there was a knock on the door. Mark and Yugyeom were watching a movie and Bambam was in the kitchen, so he went to grab the door. Jackson was asleep with his head in Mark’s lap when Bambam yelled, “Mark, it’s for you!”

Jackson jumped from the noise and Mark pushed him away to get up. His eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what this possibly could be. They had something in the morning and then a tv performance later that night so he couldn’t imagine that any of his friends would just show up on their doorstep.

But then he saw the flowers and the delivery man and felt his heart flutter. Mark signed for the flowers and then took them off the delivery guy’s hands. The bouquet was huge, Mark could barely see over the flowers as he walked over and put them on the kitchen counter. 

Yugyeom and Jackson looked like meerkats as they watched from the couch. Yugyeom asked, “What’s that?”

And Jackson said, “Did Jinyoung get you flowers? I wish my boyfriend would get me flowers.”

He slumped into the couch, chin resting on the back of the cushion. Mark rolled his eyes and said, “I’m sure if you just asked Jaebum to buy you flowers, they would be here within the hour.”

Jackson huffed, “But it doesn’t mean anything if I have to ask.”

Mark laughed at his best friend’s light hearted predicament and went back to look at his flowers. Technically, nothing said that these were from Jinyoung but the flowers were dark shades of red and light pigments of pinks. They were Mark’s favorite colors. He never said anything past liking just pink and red but somehow Jinyoung must have picked up on how he only ever wore pastel pinks and deep reds. 

Mark couldn’t stop smiling. He was so hopelessly in love with his thoughtful boyfriend. 

“Why are you smiling like that?” Bambam questioned, feeling the petals of one of the roses. 

Jackson yelled from the couch, “Because he’s in love.”

“Well, obviously,” Bambam replied with a flat tone. 

Mark replied with soft eyes, “They’re my favorite colors. I didn’t even tell him, he just knew.”

Bambam rolled his eyes and took his sandwich back to the couch, “You two are sickeningly cute.” 

“But wait, you haven’t said the L word yet right?” Yugyeom asked as Mark picked up his flowers and set them between his legs on the couch, admiring them further. He didn’t want to stand anymore but he also didn’t want to leave his flowers behind.

He sniffed at the roses a little more and then shook his head, “No. I couldn’t find the right time to say it.”

Jackson took his place back on the couch with Mark there, claiming Mark’s thigh as his pillow. 

Yugyeom shrugged, “But if you love him, you should tell him.”

“I don’t even know if he would say it back,” Mark said with a sad smile, still looking at his flowers. “We’ve only been dating for a little over two months.”

He didn’t hear anything in response and looked up to see all of his friends looking at him with an expression that clearly said are you serious? Mark felt a blush rising to his cheeks, “What?”

“You never told us you loved him and yet we all know you do,” Jackson pointed out. “It’s the same for him.”

Yugyeom nodded, agreeing with Jackson. “Just seeing the way he looks at you, it’s obvious.”

“You think?” Mark said meekly. He thought deep down that Jinyoung might love with him. There was so much affection in Jinyoung’s eyes that it was hard to miss these days. Mark looked to Bambam, his voice of reason.

But even the pink haired guitarist shrugged his shoulders, “I mean, probably.”

Mark smiled and rested his cheek against the soft flower petals, breathing in the floral scent. But something rough touched his cheek and Mark retracted. Looking through the flowers to find the source, Mark realised that there was a card attached. It was simple and only held a small printed message of, “always thinking about you.”

Mark’s smile spread into a grin and Bambam rolled his eyes, “See? Disgustingly sweet.”

“I think it’s cute!” Jackson said, defending his best friend. He looked up to smile at Mark, showing him that he had Jackson’s approval. Mark smiled back at him.

But Bambam pointed out, “Of course you do, you’re also in a relationship.”

Jackson snickered, smugness radiating off of him as he said, “You’re just jealous that Mark and I have boyfriends and you don’t.”

Next to them, Yugyeom watched the interaction of Jackson’s proud grin and Bambam’s dramatic sigh as Bambam said, “Yeah, okay whatever.”

 

Finally, the day came. Mark was finally going to leave for Hawaii. Their promotions ended and the song had done well. Their fans seemed happy and excited for the unannounced album, which was exactly what they hoped for. But all throughout, Mark couldn’t stop thinking about the next time he was going to see Jinyoung. 

His mind was constantly filled with Jinyoung. Maybe it was because he was in love with guy, but Mark couldn’t stop his heart from fluttering every time Jinyoung would text him. He missed him and everyone knew it. 

At this point, even Jackson was making comments about how thankful he was that Mark was leaving. Apparently Mark’s constant distracted state and the way he always talked about Jinyoung was annoying. Who would have thought.

But, the day was finally here. Mark stepped off the plane and felt the warm air hit him. It was warm in LA, sure. But something about it being Hawaii had Mark ten times more excited. Alex had arranged a car to pick Mark up from the airport, which he was thankful for because neither Jinyoung nor Alex actually told him where he was going. 

The car ride was beautiful. Mark had been to Hawaii before but it had been a few years since his last trip. The greenery and scenic ocean views looked exactly how he pictured them. He spent so much time looking at the ocean that Mark’s eyes widened when the car started turning up into the mountain. It hit him that he was going to spend the next week on an active volcano and laughed to himself.

But the farther the car drove the more confused Mark got. He decided to text Alex and ask where he was going. Alex replied with _You’re going to set, we’re filming a scene that looks over the ocean right now. I thought you’d want to see Jinyoung?_

Mark instantly felt dumb. If the production crew had Jinyoung fly all the way to Hawaii to film, they weren’t going to be using sound stages and green screens. Of course he was filming at some remote part of the island. oh lol thanks sorry i didn’t realise

In the distance, Mark could see a bunch of people by a cliff side. It was similar to sets that Mark had been to before but everything looked less official. The car stopped and Mark got out. There were so many people he hadn’t seen before. He recognised a few actors here and there but no one paid him any mind.

His eyes were scanning, looking for Jinyoung when he heard, “He’s over there filming a scene.”

Alex was next to him all of a sudden, making Mark jump. He followed Alex’s gaze and saw his boyfriend. Mark’s confused expression turned into a wide grin as he said, “Thanks.”

Next to him, Alex scoffed, “No, thank you. He’s been acting like shit all day since he knows your coming. Thank god you’re finally here, we’ve had to do this scene ten times already.”

Mark frowned, “Jinyoung doesn’t act well when he knows he’ll see me?”

It felt like an arrow shot through his heart. Did Jinyoung not want to see him?

But Alex waved his hand, “No, no. Not like that. He isn’t acting well because he’s excited and it’s ruining his takes. His character is supposed to be exhausted and annoyed but all we’re getting is lovestruck excitement.”

Feeling his cheeks warm, Mark blinked a couple of times, “Oh.”

He felt a little proud that Jinyoung was apparently looking forward to seeing him as just as much as Mark was. But he also felt embarrassed that he was the reason Jinyoung wasn’t doing well. 

Alex said that the scene was almost over and Mark watched his boyfriend. He noticed the difference that Alex mentioned easily. It wasn’t that Jinyoung was performing badly, he just wasn’t as good as usual. 

But then the director called for a 5 minute break and Mark saw how Jinyoung immediately turned to look through the crowd of staff as if he was searching for someone. When Jinyoung’s eyes landed on his, Mark felt his smile grow. Jinyoung’s eyes creased and suddenly Mark wasn’t standing in one place any more. He was running. 

He felt his heart beating fast as he swung his arms around Jinyoung’s neck. Mark felt Jinyoung’s arms surrounding him, pulling him impossibly closer as their chests touched. Mark’s face was pressed into his boyfriend’s neck, breathing in the familiar scent that had faded from all of Mark’s stolen clothes. He smiled into Jinyoung’s soft skin knowing that this was exactly where he wanted to be. 

“I missed you so much,” Jinyoung whispered into his ear 

Mark pulled back to see his boyfriend and melted under his soft gaze. He barely got his words out as Jinyoung smiled at him, “I missed you more.”

He felt the pull to say those three little words again as Mark looked into Jinyoung’s eyes but decided to save them until later. Which he was glad about because Jinyoung leaned in and kissed him a second later. 

Mark felt a rush of adrenaline as he felt his boyfriend’s lips on his and a warm hand holding his cheek. It had barely been over a week since he last saw Jinyoung but it had felt like an eternity. Feeling his boyfriend’s soft lips moving against his had Mark on cloud nine. He almost whined when Jinyoung pulled away but realized that they were in public and couldn’t exactly spend 10 hours kissing his boyfriend.

Jinyoung held Mark’s face in his hands and kissed his forehead, his thumbs brushing over Mark’s cheeks. Mark had never felt so in love as he looked into his boyfriend’s warm, affectionate eyes.

And then the moment was ruined by Alex clearing his throat, “Jinyoung you’re needed back on set.”

Jinyoung nodded, not looking away from Mark. He leaned in again and pressed his lips lightly against Mark’s before saying, “Are you staying?”

“For a little,” Mark said. “I’m hungry.”

Jinyoung smiled and said, “Tell me when you’re going, okay? I’ll see you back at the house.”

Mark’s heart fluttered as he nodded.

He watched his boyfriend redo the scene they just did and Jinyoung did so much better. His facial expressions and line delivery was on point. Mark smiled. 

Next to him, Alex must have seen the change too because he joked, “Can we just keep you on set all the time?”

Mark’s smile got bigger as he said, “I wish.”

After a few more scenes and a few more kisses, Mark left to see the place he was staying at. He knew Jinyoung said it was by the ocean but his eyes still widened when he saw how close it really was. The house was large, too large for only two people living there but Mark guessed that was a part of the perks of staying with a lead actor. 

He walked in and saw his luggage by the front door and decided to put it in his and Jinyoung’s room. When he walked in, he saw a note on the bed and recognized Jinyoung’s handwriting: make yourself at home, baby. Mark felt the sides of his mouth lift into a smile. With everything that Jinyoung did, Mark couldn’t help but think about how much he loved Jinyoung. 

Once he put all his stuff away, and moved a few of Jinyoung’s shirts into his own drawers, Mark left their room to stand out on the patio. He felt the salty breeze wash over him and closed his eyes. Mark lived near the ocean all his life, but not this close. The ocean was less than a 100 feet away from where he was standing. He couldn’t even see their neighbors. There were too many trees hiding them. 

He was taking his shoes off when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. It was a text from Jinyoung.

_I got Alex to get you a surfboard, I think it’s on the patio? Have fun :)_

Mark blinked. He had mentioned in passing maybe a week or two ago that he missed surfing because he didn’t have any time for it these days and yet here was Jinyoung, being thoughtful as always, remembering that conversation. 

He turned and started looking for this surfboard and found it on a table in what seemed like the main patio area. It was gorgeous, just the right brand and everything. Mark texted back with a smile, _It’s perfect! thanks babe!_

Within a minute, he got a reply. 

_Lol thank Alex, he’s the one who got it. I know nothing about surfboards but glad you like it._

Mark smiled and texted Alex a quick thank you before changing into swim shorts and taking the board out into the water. There were light waves at the moment, which was good as Mark had to remember how to surf all over again. But within a few minutes he got the hang of it.

What felt like minutes must have been hours because soon the sun was going down but Mark didn’t want to leave the water. It was a sublime temperature and the sun felt good on his skin. He told himself just a few more minutes but that must have been a lie because all of a sudden Jinyoung was standing on their patio with a smile. 

Mark watched as his boyfriend took off his shirt and pants and came to join him in the water. Mark paddled over to shallower water to meet him halfway, stomach flat on the board. Jinyoung smiled and said, “Did you have fun today?”

He felt Jinyoung’s hand in his hair, carding through his wet locks and closed his eyes. “Mhm, I haven’t surfed in so long, it felt so good.”

“I’m happy you’re so happy,” Jinyoung said softly. Mark opened his eyes, seeing the colors of the sunset illuminating his boyfriend. 

He was so handsome it hurt. So Mark told him that and Jinyoung smiled gently and shook his head. “You’re the one who’s handsome. The lighting and the wet hair, you’re stunning.”

Mark felt those words bubble up again and this time he didn’t bite his tongue. He couldn’t. With the warm air, the calming waves and Jinyoung standing in the water in front of him, Mark saw no reason not to. “I love you.”

His voice was small, but Mark felt sure of himself. He watched Jinyoung’s eyes dilate and then crease as he smiled, “I love you too.”

Even though Mark had hoped Jinyoung would say it back, he still felt surprised. He blinked, “Really?”

And Jinyoung laughed, the sound bouncing off the water. He eyes shined bright as he asked, “Did you not think I did?”

Mark felt himself blush and said, “No I did. At least, I hoped you did. But still…”

He saw Jinyoung’s eyes crease again and felt his boyfriend press soft lips into his and smiled. Jinyoung carded his fingers through Mark’s hair again when he pulled back. “I’ve been wanting to say it for a while, but I didn’t know if it was too soon.”

Shaking his head, Mark said, “I felt the same way. But seeing you here and hearing you say those things, my heart couldn’t take it.”

Jinyoung smiled, as if he understood how Mark felt. And maybe he did, Mark realized. If he didn’t say it, would Jinyoung have? He smiled to himself, maybe.

“Let’s go inside and get you dried off,” Jinyoung suggested. “I ordered us dinner and it should arrive in the next half and hour or so.”

Mark felt himself smile and said, “I love my thoughtful boyfriend.” 

Jinyoung smiled again, “I love my cute boyfriend saying he loves me.”

As he got off the board and into the water, Mark’s cheeks tinted pink again. He looked away and said, “Stop you’re making me blush.”

Putting an arm around Mark’s shoulder as they walked to the shore, Jinyoung said, “All the more reason to keep saying it.”

And Mark felt his cheeks getting warmer but he didn’t care. He was happy. 

They went through the door to their bedroom from the patio and Jinyoung brought them towels. As soon as he got himself dry enough, he took Mark’s towel from him and dried Mark off as well. The blonde just stood there with a smile on his face as Jinyoung gently wiped all the water off his body. 

As Jinyoung started drying off his back, Mark leaned into Jinyoung’s chest. He noted how warm it was and just let himself melt into Jinyoung. He heard his boyfriend’s soft laughter and hummed. “Can we have sex and then eat?”

Jinyoung laughed again, “Of course sex is your priority.”

But Mark frowned, “I just miss you.”

His boyfriend kissed his hair, dropped the towel he was holding and slid off Mark’s shorts. “I missed you too.”

Mark let himself be picked up and placed on the bed with a smile. He watched as Jinyoung took everything off and then reached into the drawer next to the bed to take out lube. Mark grinned and said, “I love that you already have everything ready.”

Jinyoung laughed and got on top of Mark, “You say this as if we both didn’t already know that you’d want me inside you the second we got in here.”

He leaned down to kiss Mark and Mark laughed into his mouth, knowing that Jinyoung was completely right. Mark wrapped an arm around Jinyoung’s back and put a hand on the back of Jinyoung’s neck. He missed this. He missed Jinyoung softly teasing him. He missed the way that Jinyoung fit perfectly between his legs. He missed feeling Jinyoung’s heart beating into his as their chests touched. 

His mind stopped thinking and he just focused on the feeling of Jinyoung. Their kiss was languid and full of sweetness. Mark was so focused on the feeling of Jinyoung’s lips moving against his that he didn’t realize it when Jinyoung already had a hand between his thighs, wet fingers circling his entrance. 

Mark felt the first finger slide in and smiled into the kiss. He was surprised when a minute later another finger entered him, usually Jinyoung teased him a bit more. But Mark was glad Jinyoung didn’t, he wanted his boyfriend inside him as fast as possible. He let little moans bubble up through his lips as Jinyoung added another finger. 

While Mark appreciated being properly stretched out, he was getting impatient. He felt full but not full enough, he wanted more. Mark tried to make this want obvious as he kissed Jinyoung with a little more intensity, the hand on the back of Jinyoung’s neck tightening ever so slightly. Mark knew that his boyfriend caught on when Jinyoung started grinning into their kiss. 

Jinyoung pulled his hand away and Mark felt his heart beating in his chest in anticipation. It had barely been over a week since their last time and yet it felt like a month to Mark. Jinyoung broke the kiss to focus on putting the condom on but Mark reeled him back in, pulling Jinyoung closer. His boyfriend grinned, quietly laughing as he rested his forehead on Mark’s. 

“You really missed me, didn’t you?” Jinyoung’s voice was low but sounded as soft as velvet. Mark’s eyelashes fluttered and he nodded, feeling as Jinyoung aligned himself and pushed in. 

Jinyoung placed a palm on Mark’s cheek and looked into his eyes with a soft smile. Mark felt his cheeks warm at the depth of his boyfriend’s gaze. He always liked it when Jinyoung would look at him like this, making Mark feel like he was the center of Jinyoung’s world. He hoped he really was because Jinyoung was the center of Mark’s. 

“I’m so happy I’m yours,” Mark said, his voice barely over a whisper. He saw the lines he loved so much form around Jinyoung’s eyes as he smiled and Mark couldn’t help but smile too. He moved his hand from the back of his boyfriend’s neck to gently carding through Jinyoung’s hair.

He could feel Jinyoung start moving his hips and Mark appreciated how slow the pace was. Mark didn’t want this to be a hot and heavy quickie. He wanted to feel what he couldn’t for a week. He wanted Jinyoung to know just how much he missed him. 

“I’m happy you’re mine too,” Jinyoung said, nuzzling Mark’s nose with his. Mark could feel his eyes widening and knew they were probably sparkling from Jinyoung’s words. 

Jinyoung thrusted at a different angle and Mark’s lips parted with a moan. His arm around his boyfriend’s back tightened and Jinyoung kissed him tenderly. 

There was so much sweetness in the kiss it overwhelmed Mark. He could tell how gentle Jinyoung was trying to be, their lips being pressed together with a sense of want not with a sense of need. He could feel the passion with every slide of their lips but they weren’t kissing in a frenzy like usual. 

Jinyoung’s thrusts were the same, too. They were diligent and had Mark moaning into his mouth but they weren’t hard and fast. And the way they were positioned was different too. It was like every part of Jinyoung was touching Mark. There was no space between their chests, but Jinyoung still propped himself up on his elbow to make sure he wasn’t putting any weight on Mark. 

He could feel the thoughtfulness in everything Jinyoung did and realized that this time was different. They’ve had slower sex before but that was more because they were lazy and had the time to spend. But this wasn’t laziness. And certainly wasn’t about time. 

It was love. 

Mark wrapped his arms around Jinyoung’s neck and felt Jinyoung respond with a stronger kiss. He smiled and deepened their kiss for a few seconds before pulling back. Mark looked up at Jinyoung, a smiling spreading across his lips as he saw all the love Jinyoung held for him displayed in his features. 

It wasn’t even a second later before Jinyoung was delicately placing his lips on Mark’s forehead. Mark let his eyes close at the softness of the touch as Jinyoung kissed the apples of his cheeks. His eyes slowly opened to see Jinyoung smiling down on him and Mark lifted his chin to kiss him chastely. 

“I love you,” Mark said, his breath ghosting over Jinyoung’s lips. 

Jinyoung closed the distance to kiss him softly and said, “I love you too.”

It was only his second time hearing those words from Jinyoung and he felt them crash over him like warm waves, soft and steady.

Jinyoung leaned down to kiss under Mark’s jaw, earning a soft moan and even softer smile. Mark closed his eyes again, relishing the feeling of Jinyoung’s lips on him as they trailed down to his neck. Jinyoung’s thrusts got a little harder and Mark bit his lip, stopping his moans. 

He heard Jinyoung’s low voice against his ear, “Let me hear you, baby.”

And then he felt Jinyoung trapping a patch of skin between his lips, sucking just to get a response out of Mark. It worked, Mark’s moan was breathy and wanton. But Jinyoung didn’t stop. He just moved his lips to suck on other parts of Mark’s neck.

They were definitely going to leave a mark. But instead of feeling embarrassed by the thought, Mark realized he liked it. He liked the idea that everyone was going to see that he had been marked. That he belonged to Jinyoung. 

With his moans getting louder, Jinyoung snaked a hand between them and Mark’s eyes rolled back. He loved Jinyoung’s touch but he especially liked it when it came in the form of Jinyoung’s hand around his cock. His boyfriend’s hand was so big and warm and by now Jinyoung knew just how Mark liked it. His strokes were firm and added pressure around the head, making Mark curse. 

The long, slow strokes matched Jinyoung’s pace with his hips and Mark felt himself get closer and closer to the edge. He buried his face into Jinyoung’s neck and moaned into his boyfriend’s skin. Mark felt surrounded by Jinyoung, there wasn’t and inch of him that wasn’t being touched. He could feel Jinyoung’s soft lips and warm hands on him. Jinyoung’s heartbeat was melding with Mark’s, beating through their chests. It was heaven.

With a particularly hard thrust, Mark came with a loud moan. His eyes rolled back as Jinyoung thrusted harder, finishing himself off. He felt Jinyoung’s breathing against his neck and tightened his arms. Mark smiled into his boyfriend’s skin, feeling warmth radiating off of the two of them. This was exactly where he wanted to be.

After a moment or two, he felt Jinyoung press a kiss into his neck and he let go of the tight embrace. Jinyoung looked down at him with hazy, yet love filled eyes and kissed his forehead again. 

They laid there in bed, Mark curled into his favorite position before realizing that they were supposed to have dinner. Jinyoung must have realized too because he said, “Are you hungry, baby?”

Mark almost said no and then heard his stomach grumble. Jinyoung laughed and said, “I guess that’s a yes.”

“What did you order us?” Mark asked as he sat up. 

Jinyoung slipped out of bed and slid on pants. “Pasta, I think.”

“Sounds good,” Mark moved past him and opened one of Jinyoung’s drawers, deliberately taking Jinyoung’s clothes to wear. He heard his boyfriend snicker behind him. 

They walked to the kitchen hand in hand and Mark’s mouth watered at the food waiting for them. Alex was godsent. Or at least, Mark assumed that Alex was the one who brought all this over. Mark couldn’t imagine that anyone else would have a key to the house. But then his cheeks flushed as that meant that Alex probably heard them having sex. 

“What?” Jinyoung asked, trying to read Mark’s face.

Mark asked hesitantly, “Did Alex do this?”

His boyfriend nodded as he put a plate down in front of Mark and sat next to him. “Yeah, why?”

The tint of Mark’s cheeks deepened slightly as he said, “Then that means he was here while we were, um…”

“Oh is that what you’re worried about?” Jinyoung grinned. His smile widened when Mark nodded shyly. “Don’t worry, that wasn’t the first time Alex has heard us. Or seen us.”

Mark’s eyes widened and Jinyoung laughed, “I’m sorry baby, sometimes he comes over to drop off a script or something and the door to my bedroom isn’t closed.”

Suddenly Mark was thinking back to everytime they had sex at Jinyoung’s place, trying to remember which times Alex could have been there. Jinyoung only laughed harder, “I’m sorry babe, I’ll try to close the door next time.”

“Good,” Mark said, as he put pasta on his plate. His cheeks were burning at the thought of Alex hearing him getting fucked. That would explain a few of Alex’s smirks and snide comments about Jinyoung being tired.

After dinner, they ended up on the patio looking out to the ocean. Mark was on Jinyoung’s lap, his cheek against Jinyoung’s chest as he listened to his boyfriend talking about something that happened on set that day. He loved the sound of his boyfriend’s voice and he loved it even more when he could feel the vibrations of it through Jinyoung’s skin. Mark just liked being close to him. 

A month ago he was worried about their relationship being considered serious but now there was no question about it. 

Jinyoung had brought out a blanket just to wrap Mark in, even though it wasn’t that cold. The way that he held Mark in his strong arms, holding one of Mark’s hands in his made Mark feel invincible. And everytime that Mark would say something, he could feel Jinyoung’s eyes on him, patiently listening to him. Every so often, Jinyoung would kiss his hair or his cheek just so Mark knew he was there and paying attention.

It was those little things that proved Jinyoung’s feelings. He knew that Jinyoung loved him. He knew that this wasn’t just one sided or that Mark cared more. It was serious. They were in it for the long run and Mark couldn’t have been happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was it as cute as I promised? :) I loved hearing your favorite parts of the last chapter, thank you so much for all your comments. they really make my day.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the rest of their hawaii trip. it's more of a filler but I just wanted to set some things up for later chapters :)

Not unexpectedly, Jinyoung felt well rested the next day on set. He had left Mark at their place after making him breakfast and fucking him on the kitchen counter. Jinyoung grinned at the memory, remembering the way that Mark arched his back as he came.

“What are you all smiley about?” Alex said, his eyes sliding over as he took a sip of his coffee.

Jinyoung grinned to himself and said, “Nothing, I just had a good night.”

Alex rolled his eyes, “Yeah I’m sure you had many rounds of great sex, what a surprise.”

“Actually, we only had sex once last night,” Jinyoung pointed out, leaving out that morning. “And anyways that’s not what made last night good. Although admittedly, the sex was amazing.”

He added that last part with a smug smile, knowing very well that Alex would roll his eyes again at the comment. Jinyoung took great pride in seeing Alex do just that. With a groan, Alex said, “Okay fine, I’ll bite. What made last night so amazing?”

Jinyoung could barely wait long enough for Alex to finish his question, he was so happy. “We said I love you for the first time.”

He saw the change in Alex’s expression. Alex was looking at him in surprise, “Already?”

“You think it was too soon?” Jinyoung questioned, wanting to know his manager’s opinion.

But Alex fired back, “Do you?”

“No,” Jinyoung answered without hesitation. He had been going crazy not telling Mark he loved him. 

Alex shrugged, “Then I guess it wasn’t.”

Jinyoung narrowed his eyes, “Why do you seem surprised?”

Tapping a finger on his coffee cup, Alex said, “I’m not really. It’s clear that you love him and only a fool would say that he doesn’t love you back. Just a second of seeing you two interact would tell you that. I just didn’t want you to scare him away.”

“Me? Scare him away?” At first Jinyoung had smiled from Alex’s words. He liked knowing how obvious their love for eachother was but he didn’t know why Alex wouldn’t want Jinyoung to scare Mark away. Didn’t Alex think Mark was a hindrance to his work?

“You need him around,” Alex said like it was something Jinyoung already knew. But it only confused Jinyoung further. “You worked well before, really consistent, but now you’re incredible. But only if you see Mark. If not, you’re a mess. The more Mark is around, the better.”

“I thought you said that Mark was a distraction?” Jinyoung questioned, unsure if he should take that as a compliment or not.

Alex shrugged his shoulders, “I thought he would be, but he’s not. Honestly, if you wanted to take some time off in between movies, I’d say yes. You falling for Mark has been fantastic for your acting, but if you want your relationship to work long term you can’t be this busy.”

Jinyoung’s jaw dropped. Was his manager really telling him to stop working? Also was this some weird relationship advice? All Alex had ever done was tell him to stay away from anything serious and to sleep around casually, now he was saying that Jinyoung needed to hold onto his relationship.

“Are you really telling me to take time away from work to be with my boyfriend?” Jinyoung never thought he’d hear such words. 

But Alex nodded, “You have movies booked up until late winter, so if you wanted to take a few weeks before you started filming again let me know now because I already have 10 offers for just February.”

Jinyoung gawked, “10 offers?”

His manager rolled his eyes, “What? Did you think you were this busy for no reason? You’re not a top actor for nothing.”

“No, I just really had no idea,” Jinyoung said. “Wherever I can take a few weeks off, I want to. I don’t want constantly filming to hurt our relationship.”

Alex sipped his coffee again, “A wise man. I’ll make sure your booking agent knows.”

 

The scenes they were filming that day had been long but luckily, Jinyoung’s female co-star had a lot of solo shots that they had to shoot before his. Jinyoung texted Mark saying that if he wanted to come to set, now would be a good time. His boyfriend replied with _i’d love to._

Jinyoung smiled. Seeing the word love come from Mark made him smile even if it was in the wrong context. Just being reminded that Mark loved him had his heart thumping in his chest. Even that morning, Mark couldn’t stop saying it.

After getting fucked on the countertop, Mark got extra clingy. It wasn’t exactly unexpected, Mark was always a post-coital cuddler and this time was no different. While eating breakfast, he sat with his whole side flanked against Jinyoung. He even looped their arms so that they could be even closer. 

Mark rubbed his face against Jinyoung’s shoulder and Jinyoung looked down with an amused smile. “You good babe?”

“I just don’t want you to leave yet,” Mark mumbled. 

Jinyoung laughed, “I can see that.”

“I love you,” Mark said, looking up into Jinyoung’s eyes. Jinyoung’s heart might as well have melted right then and there.

He cupped his boyfriend’s jaw and kissed his hair, “I love you more.”

But Mark hummed, “That’s debatable.”

And Jinyoung laughed, eyes creasing. Mark was being clingy but he was still Mark, always ready to fire back. “And that’s the Mark I know and love.”

He saw Mark blink and then say, “You never call me that.”

“Hm?” Jinyoung said, caught off guard. “What? Mark?”

His boyfriend nodded as he brought his hand up, fingers sprawled out. “I can probably count the number of times you’ve called me Mark on my fingers.”

“Do you not like that?” Jinyoung asked, worried he’s been doing something wrong.

But Mark shook his head and leaned on Jinyoung again, “No, I like being your baby more.”

Jinyoung smiled to himself and took another bite of his breakfast. It was then that Mark straightened up and looked at Jinyoung with narrow eyes, “You forgot.”

“Forgot what, baby?” Jinyoung asked, not knowing why Mark was giving him this look.

“You owe me kisses,” Mark said with an air of indignance.

If Jinyoung was honest, he thought that his boyfriend’s determination was downright adorable. “Do I? But I kissed you for like thirty minutes straight last night, doesn’t that count?”

Mark shook his head defiantly. “How many do you owe me?”

With a light smile on his lips, Jinyoung said, “How about twelve?”

And his boyfriend grinned, “I’m good with twelve.”

It was probably a higher number but Jinyoung didn’t have enough time to be exact. So he pulled Mark into his lap and as his boyfriend rested his arms on Jinyoung’s shoulders, Jinyoung asked, “Are you going to count?”

Mark nodded and Jinyoung couldn’t help but smile. He leaned in for a quick kiss, barely brushing their lips together. “One.”

And then he leaned in again, lingering for a second longer. “Two.”

Each kiss got a little longer until Mark slipped his tongue in on, “Seven.”

And the counts were forgotten as their lips didn’t move apart. Instead they moved together, the kiss sweet and gentle. Jinyoung was waiting for Mark to protest but he was the one who wasn’t letting Jinyoung pull away, so Jinyoung instead just focused on how soft his boyfriend’s lips were. 

 

Jinyoung still felt himself smiling from the interaction. He really loved Mark.

Even though the sun was about to go down, Mark showed up in one of Jinyoung’s short sleeved shirts. Although Jinyoung loved seeing his boyfriend wear his clothing, he thought Mark might get cold in only this. 

But still, he opened his arms and Mark fit himself in between them with gleaming eyes. Jinyoung loved how Mark automatically found the crook of Jinyoung’s neck and nuzzled his cheek against it. As he smiled to himself over how cute Mark was, Jinyoung wrapped his arms around Mark’s shoulders. “Hi baby, what did you do today?”

Mark looked up at him with a bright smile, “Just surfed.”

After taking Mark’s hand and leading him to two chairs to sit in while they waited for Jinyoung’s next scene, Jinyoung asked, “Is that all?”

He put an arm around Mark’s shoulders and Mark rested his head on it, nodding. “Yeah, I was pretty tired after this morning so I napped a little and then surfed for a while.”

Jinyoung felt a smug smile spread across his lips. Mark came hard that morning, so he understood when Mark said he was tired. “How was your nap?”

“Good,” Mark said with a soft gleam in his eyes. “Our bed smells like you so I fell asleep pretty easily.”

Our bed. Jinyoung liked that sound of that. Even though it was true and Mark wasn’t insinuating anything with it, they were sharing a bed for the next week. Jinyoung couldn’t stop his heart from skipping a beat. He liked the idea that what was his was theirs. Mark already seemed adjusted to the concept with the way he took liberty to wearing all of Jinyoung’s clothing. But still, he liked where they were in their relationship. 

It was still new and therefore everything seemed sparkly and pretty, but Jinyoung couldn’t see any rough waters ahead. Him and Mark seemed to be on the same page about everything. He knew that Mark didn’t like how different their schedules were, Jinyoung being busy everyday but Mark only being busy in clumps of the year. But if time spent together was their only foreseeable issue, in Jinyoung’s mind, they were doing just fine. 

Jinyoung’s eyes creased, “I bet you piled all the covers on top of you so you wouldn’t get cold.”

His boyfriend laughed and nodded as if to say he was right. “It’s just not the same without you.”

“Well, I’m here now,” Jinyoung said, rubbing his hand gently up and down Mark’s arm. 

He saw his boyfriend close his eyes and nod, when Mark opened them they were shining with warmth, “I know. I’m glad you invited me here, it would suck to spend four weeks away from you.”

“Technically, you invited yourself here,” Jinyoung teased and watched Mark’s eyes dull and his face fall into a quick frown before smiling and saying, “Whatever, I’m here now and I’m not leaving so you’re stuck with me.”

Jinyoung’s lips spread into a grin, “Good, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”

“Fuck, why are you so perfect?” Mark asked as he placed his hand on the side of Jinyoung’s face and pulled him into a soft kiss. 

Jinyoung’s heart thumped in his chest. This is what it felt like to be in love. Nothing around him mattered except for this one person. He didn’t care who saw them and he certainly didn’t care what they thought about it. Jinyoung just loved Mark. He wanted to see Mark smile and to make him happy. 

He was glad that Alex brought up working less because Jinyoung didn’t know if he could take this nonstop schedule forever when it would mean leaving Mark behind. He liked location shoots like this because he got to travel, but spending most of the day filming wasn’t travel. He wanted to be able to just get on a plane with Mark and spend time together. They were in Hawaii, he should be able to spend more time here with Mark than just their bed. 

Jinyoung let their kiss end naturally and pulled away just enough to see Mark’s pretty brown eyes sparkling up at him. The sun was setting and illuminating Mark’s features with warm tones and Jinyoung said, “Why are you so stunningly beautiful?”

He saw a blush dust across Mark’s cheeks as the blonde fluttered his lashes, still not used to all of Jinyoung’s compliments. “I’m really not…”

Clicking his tongue to express that he didn’t agree, Jinyoung said, “You really are.”

And then Mark shivered and Jinyoung felt the goosebumps under his fingertips. He took off his own jacket and laid it over Mark’s chest and tucked it behind Mark’s shoulders. His boyfriend tried to protest, saying he really wasn’t that cold but Jinyoung only shook his head and smiled. 

Once he felt like Mark was properly wrapped up, he kissed Mark’s hair and said, “You should wear more at night, baby. We’re higher up on the island and it gets colder up here.”

“I forgot, but you really didn’t have to give me your jacket,” Mark said, a frown tugging at his lips as he looked at the thin long sleeve that Jinyoung was wearing.

Jinyoung shook his head as if it was nothing, looking out over the ocean as he said, “I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. You’re important to me.”

He looked back and saw Mark’s wide shiny eyes and smiled. Mark leaned his head against Jinyoung’s shoulder, closing his eyes as he said, “I love you.”

Jinyoung leaned his head gently on top of Mark’s blonde hair and said, “I know, I love you too.”

 

The next day, Jinyoung was standing on set waiting for the camera crew to be ready for him. A stylist was powdering his face with some last minute touch ups when his female co-star, Sarah, came up to him. 

“Hey um,” She said hesitantly, not quite meeting Jinyoung’s eyes. “What was the name of the guy who came yesterday?”

Jinyoung furrowed his eyes. He wasn’t sure where she was going with this. “What guy?”

Her expression changed as if she didn’t think Jinyoung would ask who she was talking about. “Um, the guy you were with yesterday. The blonde one.”

“Mark,” He said. He hoped this was an innocent question without ill intentions. 

Her eyes lit up and asked, “Mark Tuan?”

While Jinyoung was happy that Sarah knew who Mark was, he just hoped that she wasn’t about to ask him a million questions about Mark and how single he may or may not be. Jinyoung really didn’t understand how girls didn’t get that when they saw them kissing and holding hands, it meant that Mark was taken. Somehow they always tried to find some sort of loophole for that. 

Sarah’s expression only got brighter as she said, “Like from Ruby Atlas?”

Jinyoung tried not to sigh prematurely. Maybe she just wanted to reaffirm. He nodded. He should be happy to hear this question, he should feel proud and to even grin. But with the way that girls treated their relationship, he could only nod and say, “Yep.”

“Oh my god, that’s so cool! My sister loves them,” She said and Jinyoung smiled. He did feel proud of Mark. He loved how well known his boyfriend is, he loved that everyone seemed to know who he was once Jinyoung said the name of their band. “So like, do you think that he’d sign something for her?”

That was unexpected. Jinyoung had started rehearsing his, ‘Mark is mine and only mine, back off’ speech in his head but it halted to a stop. He shrugged, “I don’t know, you could just ask him. He’ll be here pretty soon.”

“He will?” She asked and Jinyoung nodded. 

“He’s here all week.” She looked like she had stars in his eyes. 

“He’s so hot, it’s so refreshing to have some new eye candy around here,” She said and Jinyoung’s jaw dropped. He felt his blood turn to ice and just when he was about to say something more Jinyoung got called over by the director. His guard went up immediately, not liking the way she talked about Mark. 

 

And that was how Mark ended up getting approached by Sarah 20 minutes later. He jumped when he heard someone other than Alex or Jinyoung talk to him. Usually everyone left him alone, which Mark didn’t mind. He was just a visitor anyways. 

A few times he saw people start to approach him, maybe to ask why he was there, and then Jinyoung would always happen to come over at that exact moment. When they put two and two together, usually people let them be.

But not Sarah. 

“Hi,” She asked, standing in front of him. Something in her eyes didn’t sit well with Mark.

Mark’s eyes widened when he realized who she was. Although he was dating a big movie star, it still felt weird to have someone as well known as Sarah looking at him. 

“Hi,” He said meekly.

She smiled and extended her hand, “I’m Sarah Harris.”

Her hand was cold but her smile was bright. Mark was still surprised she was talking to him, “Mark Tuan.”

“You’re in Ruby Atlas, right?” She asked, looking hopeful. She played with her long brown hair.

Mark nodded, a smile came to his face. He couldn’t believe that Sarah Harris knew who he was. It felt surreal. “Yeah, I play bass.”

“Cool,” She said and Mark nodded awkwardly, not knowing where this conversation was going. “My sister is like a huge fan, I recognised you from her lockscreen.”

Mark laughed, although it was a little forced. Just another reminder of what his image was supposed to be: a cool and stoic bass player, not cute and spoiled boyfriend of Park Jinyoung. He wasn’t supposed to be seen being held in some guy’s arms, nuzzling into their chest while his hair got kissed. He was supposed to be the one holding some girl and being the big protective boyfriend. But he wasn’t. And he never would be.

“But I guess she’s out of luck,” And Mark tilted his head, confused. Sarah’s voice sounded more unsure, as if she was trying to play innocent as she said, “Because you’re already with someone, right?”

“Oh!” Mark said a little too loudly and then laughed. “Yeah, I’m very much taken.”

He was sure his eyes were shining as he looked over Sarah’s shoulder and saw Jinyoung doing a scene with someone else. Today’s shoot was at a resort. Jinyoung was by the bar talking to the bartender, acting as if he was lost.

She caught on that he was looking at something and glanced over her shoulder. When she saw who Mark was looking at, her smile faltered for a second before resuming as bright as ever. “So you are with Jinyoung?”

Mark nodded, a little shier than expected. Usually he grinned from ear to ear but this time it felt weird admitting it to someone so well known. 

“No one even thought that Jinyoung was interested in dating,” She confessed. “He turned down so many people, we just thought it wasn’t his thing.”

Mark felt his lips turn up into a smile, “I never thought he’d go for me, honestly. But he’s a great boyfriend.”

His eyes drifted over to where Jinyoung was and his smile automatically grew when he saw that Jinyoung was looking over at him. His boyfriend’s smile was so handsome but this time something else was hidden in it. Mark couldn’t help but feel confused. 

“Why not?” She asked, seemingly confused. “You’re both fine as hell.”

Feeling his cheeks warm, Mark said, “I just never thought I’d meet him and when I did...Well, he just wasn’t what I expected.”

Sarah acted even more confused but in her eyes, he could see something that looked hopeful. “But wait, I thought you were dating?”

“Oh we are,” Mark affirmed, starting to catch on to what was happening. “I’m so in love with him it hurts but from his movies I guess I expected him to be all stoic and badass.”

“And he’s not?” She asked curiously, leaning in slightly.

But now Mark was the one acting as if he was confused, “You don’t think so? He’s so sweet and affectionate to me.”

Sarah smiled, pretending to be sincere, “We’ve done a few movies together but he always came off as closed off and intimidating. But then you showed up and I’ve honestly never seen him smile so much.”

“Really?” Mark was eager to hear more about Jinyoung. But he also felt smug, knowing that no one made Jinyoung smile like that.

“Yeah, honestly it made me kind of jealous,” She laughed with a hand over her mouth. It was clearly fake but her words were the most truthful thing she said this whole conversation. “I’ve probably kissed him a hundred times and it’s never been like when he kisses you.”

He wasn’t sure if Sarah was baiting him, waiting for him to correct her. To say something like, ‘oh no we’re not really that serious. I was just in the area and we met up. It’s just casual.’ So Mark decided to say the opposite. 

“I’ve actually noticed that too,” Mark confessed. “I see the way he looks at all the actresses he works with and then I see the way he acts around me. It’s so different. I can tell Jinyoung loves me with just one glance, he makes it so obvious.” 

He saw something flash in her eyes and her tone turned more flat than before. “You’re lucky.”

“I know,” He said with a laugh. “I tell him that all the time too but Jinyoung always says he’s the lucky one.”

Her smile became a lot more forced. 

But all of a sudden an arm was wrapping itself around Mark. He could tell it was Jinyoung just by the way he was being held but then a waft of familiar cologne filled the air and Mark grinned. Jinyoung kissed his cheek and said, “Hi baby, I missed you so much.”

Mark could tell that Jinyoung was laying it on thick and it made Mark wonder if his boyfriend could tell what their conversation had been about. He played along, smiling with bright eyes as he said, “I miss you more.”

He glanced back to see Sarah with dull eyes looking inbetween them like she was trying to figure out how real this interaction was. It was a little over the top, yes, but Mark thought it was fairly similar to what would have happened if no one was watching. 

“Were you getting to know my boyfriend? Isn’t he the cutest?” Jinyoung said and Mark lifted his eyebrow when he noticed the sharp edge of Jinyoung’s voice hidden under the innocent words. Sarah’s jaw squared.

“He seems very taken with you,” She said with a forced smile. 

Jinyoung’s smile was just as forced as he said, “I’d hope so. He is my boyfriend after all.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” She said, her passive aggressive tone becoming more obvious. Jinyoung only smiled sweetly. 

Luckily, she was called over by someone and Jinyoung rolled his eyes, sighing. He dropped his arm from Mark’s shoulders and watched Sarah go. Mark laughed, finding the whole thing amusing. 

“What was that all about?” Mark asked, grabbing for Jinyoung’s hand.

“She was asking about you before you came but said something about wanting a signature for her sister and I said she could just ask you when she got here,” Jinyoung explained, interlocking their fingers. “I thought ‘wow someone who’s not trying to get inbetween me and Mark, what a surprise!’ but then she made this comment about you being eye candy and I got called away before I could say anything.”

He could see the protectiveness radiating off Jinyoung in waves and it made Mark’s heart flutter. 

“I was so close to coming over here the second I saw her talking to you but we were in the middle of a scene and I know you can handle yourself so I waited,” Jinyoung said, his voice getting softer by the second. Mark beamed. He loved how protective Jinyoung was of him but at the same time, Jinyoung didn’t think of him like a little helpless bunny. “But I couldn’t help but make a show when I did come over and man, she did not look happy.”

“Yeah, I think she was trying to figure out how attached we were to each other,” Mark concluded. “It was like she was waiting for me to say that we weren’t serious or something.”

“But we are serious,” Jinyoung said without hesitation. His lips turned up at the corner as he held both of Mark’s hands inbetween his. “I’m completely in love with you and according to Alex, I’m dumbstruck by it.”

While Mark had come to that conclusion on his own, he loved hearing it first hand from his boyfriend. He felt a smile bloom across his lips and leaned in to place the gentlest of kisses on Jinyoung’s. “We are. I’m over the moon about you and I tried to make that as obvious as possible. I think she got that hint.”

The look Jinyoung was giving him tugged at Mark’s heart strings. “Well, I guess if she didn’t I wouldn’t mind being overly cute with you and making Sarah hate us.”

“Don’t worry, Bambam already hates us. What’s one more?” Mark joked back. 

“Bambam hates us?” Jinyoung asked, surprised.

But Mark waved his hand and said, “He’s just jealous because Jackson and I have amazing boyfriends and Bambam is salty and alone.”

“It’s funny, you’d think the two were connected or something,” Jinyoung smiled and Mark grinned back. “How are Jackson and Jaebum anyways?”

“Good,” Mark replied. “It took Jackson a little to call Jaebum his boyfriend but now he can’t stop saying it. Everything that comes out of his mouth is ‘my boyfriend this’ or ‘my boyfriend that.’ Though, he did complain that Jaebum didn’t buy him roses like you did. Thank you, by the way.”

Jinyoung smiled and Mark could see the amusement seeping through the softness of it. “I’ll text Jaebum. And you’re welcome. Did you like the colors?”

Mark’s smile widened as he nodded, “They were perfect, I loved them. And you.”

He was pulled into a hug and Mark barely had enough time to wrap his arms around Jinyoung before he was being requested on set again. He heard a whisper above his ear and smiled to himself. Jinyoung loved him too.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, more filler. but this one has smut so don't be too mad lol. 
> 
> also I'm not following Mark and Jinyoung's real life family tree. They have completely made up families. Both Mark and Jinyoung were born and raised in California.

Mark woke up in Jinyoung’s bed. He wasn’t surprised about it, he frequently found himself there. His boyfriend was still asleep above him, his breathing quiet and warm on Mark’s tousled bedhead. What Mark was surprised about was how bright the sun was. He turned around in Jinyoung’s arms and saw how high the sun was through the window. It must have been midday. And yet Jinyoung hadn’t woken them up yet.

He reached for his phone and unplugged it, bringing it over to him. It was 12:32pm. They never slept in this late. Did Mark tire him out? They came to Jinyoung’s late after Jinyoung picked him up but usually Jinyoung had no issue waking up for his schedule. Jinyoung’s schedule was a little more packed recently because he had just started filming for something new and another of his movies was about to come out so he was doing interviews and photoshoots to promote it. 

Mark turned around and tapped Jinyoung’s chest, “Babe.”

No response. 

“Babe,” He tried again, a little louder. Jinyoung eyes squeezed closed and then opened, finding Mark’s instantly. 

Worry etched itself into his expression as Jinyoung said, “Baby what’s wrong?”

“It’s past noon, don’t you have something today?” Mark asked, worried himself. He didn’t want to be the reason why Jinyoung was late to something. 

He watched as the worry left Jinyoung’s face and a warm smile appeared, “No, love. Only a suit fitting at 3.”

Mark’s heart skipped a beat. Jinyoung had taken to calling him that ever since they left Hawaii. Mark loved his new nickname. “So you’re all mine today?”

“I’m yours everyday,” Jinyoung replied with a quirk of his lips.

Rolling his eyes, Mark said, “You know what I mean.”

“Hmm,” Jinyoung said, pretending to think. “No, I’m not sure I do.”

Mark pushed at his boyfriend’s chest, knowing that Jinyoung was just trying get under his skin. It was working, it always did. And he loved it. “Babe, come on.”

Jinyoung grinned and rolled them over so that he was on top. “Fine, yes you can spend the whole day with me. The fitting shouldn’t take long, I just have to pick something out to wear.”

“I get to see you in a suit?” Mark’s eyes were sparkling. 

And his boyfriend grinned. “You’ve seen me in a suit plenty of times.”

“But not with my own two eyes,” Mark pouted before bringing his arms up around Jinyoung’s neck. “I bet you’re sexy in a suit.”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Jinyoung replied as he leaned down to kiss him. 

Mark could tell that the kiss was supposed to be short and quick, but he trapped Jinyoung between his arms instead. With that and the way he parted Jinyoung’s lips enough to slip his tongue in, Mark made it more than obvious what he wanted. The thought of Jinyoung wearing a perfectly tailored suit that showed off his broad shoulders and strong arms had Mark half hard and wanting.

Luckily for him, Jinyoung picked up on this pretty quick. As their kiss deepened and Jinyoung took control, Mark felt fingers at his entrance. 

“You’re still pretty stretched out,” Jinyoung commented as he took the lube off drawer next to the bed, forgotten there from the night before. As Jinyoung started placing kisses against Mark’s jaw, Mark felt the same fingers against his hole again. But this time they slipped right in. 

Mark wasn’t exactly surprised by this. He hadn’t been able to see Jinyoung for a few days so when he finally had his boyfriend within his grasp, Mark didn’t let him go for hours. He made sure he got a couple rounds out of Jinyoung before passing out.

“Honestly, I’m surprised you’re already asking for more,” He heard Jinyoung say, feeling his smirk against his neck. 

Mark had a hand on the back of his boyfriend’s head, playing with his hair and looping the longer strands around his fingers. “You know I always want you.”

He felt Jinyoung grin and press his soft lips against Mark’s neck, “I do. You’re insatiable and I love it.”

Since they were doing this only hours before, his boyfriend didn’t wait too long until he was moving his hips. Mark didn’t even feel the stretch of it, only how good Jinyoung felt inside him. They didn’t get many night and morning rounds in with their schedules, so this easy slide was a delicacy. 

Mark expected to stay in this position and let himself relax until he felt Jinyoung pick him up and put him in his lap. Mark blinked at the change and then closed his eyes as he felt what the position change did for the angle of Jinyoung’s cock. He let out a loud moan at the feeling of Jinyoung thrusting right into his prostate. “Fuck, babe.”

“Call me daddy,” Jinyoung whispered into his ear and Mark’s eyes flew open. He didn’t get this request everytime they had sex but every time he did, Mark swore his cock dripped precum. 

His boyfriend was pressing open mouth kisses into his neck, marking him lightly for himself. Mark’s eyes closed again and he wrapped his legs and arms around Jinyoung again and said, “Yes, daddy.”

He felt Jinyoung’s grin against his neck and then bite down. Mark’s eyes rolled back as he got fucked up into. He loved his position because he still felt Jinyoung pressed against him but he also felt Jinyoung’s hand on his ass and his arm across his back. That, and Mark didn’t have to move a muscle. Not even a finger. Jinyoung was doing everything, including keeping him upright as Jinyoung fucked him into a moaning mess. 

“Daddy oh shit, oh my god,” was what came rolling off Mark’s tongue as Jinyoung pounded into him. 

Mark had his head leaned back, his arm lazily around Jinyoung’s back to keep himself steady and his other hand digging into his boyfriend’s shoulder. Every time he called Jinyoung daddy, he felt Jinyoung thrust up into him harder and it was definitely incentive to keep doing it. Soon, every other word he was saying was daddy. “Daddy there, right there oh my god daddy fuck yes.”

Mark’s cock was rubbing against Jinyoung’s stomach but the friction wasn’t enough, he wanted more. He whined, “Daddy touch me please touch me.”

“Why should I?” He got in response and it went straight to his dick. Mark moaned loudly, hearing it echo off the high ceiling of Jinyoung’s bedroom.

“Because I’ve been good,” Mark whimpered as his boyfriend abused his hole, fucking into it harder than before. The only thing he could think about was how good it felt yet how much it wasn’t enough. He was so close it was starting to hurt. If his eyes were open and he looked down, Mark was sure his cock would be red and wet. “I’ve been so good, daddy please.”

He felt Jinyoung’s lips under his jaw, “Yes you have, baby boy. You’ve been so good.”

And then he got sweet satisfaction in the form of Jinyoung’s hand around him. It was so simple and yet the pressure was so good. It was only moments before he was releasing as he moaned a mantra of, “Shitshitshit, oh my god daddy yes,”

Maybe it was the straining of his voice, the loud moans or the way that Mark tightened around Jinyoung’s cock but his boyfriend followed quickly behind. 

 

Mark and Jinyoung walked hand in hand down the street and into the shop. It made him happy to be out and about with Jinyoung. They didn’t get many full days together so Mark cherished the ones they did. Luckily, no one was really around and if they were they didn’t pay Mark nor Jinyoung any attention. 

When they walked in, Jinyoung seemed to know where he was going and led Mark to a room in the back. There he saw a rack of suits and a large three panel mirror.

“Mark!” Alex said, coming out from another room. “I shouldn’t even be surprised to see you here on one of Jinyoung’s only days off from filming.”

Mark grinned and sat down down on the couch as the tailor brought Jinyoung over to the suits. “You know Jinyoung’s stuck with me.”

Alex sat down next to him and crossed his legs, “Yeah, thank god. Jinyoung’s career would be over without you.”

“Hey! I’m right here,” Jinyoung said with smile, his warm eyes on Mark. 

But Alex said, “Yeah, so?”

And Mark was trying not to laugh but failing miserably at it as Jinyoung playfully glared at Alex who grinned back. 

“What is this for again?” Mark asked, turning to Alex. Jinyoung’s manager probably had a better idea than Jinyoung himself. 

And he was right, “The premiere next week for that movie he shot last December.”

But Mark didn’t know which movie that was. He tilted his head to the side and Alex realized his mistake, “Shit, that’s right. Sorry you’re just always with Jinyoung now and movies blend together after a while, I forgot you weren’t together yet.”

“I wish we were together last December,” Mark said, his eyes glancing over to Jinyoung. They had been together for over three months now but it felt like so much longer. They were in the calm before the storm of Mark having to fly off to different cities for summer festivals, so Mark held every moment with Jinyoung dearly.

Jinyoung’s smile was tender as he commented, “I bet you’d look cute all bundled up.”

“Would you give me your jacket if it got too cold?” Mark asked. He knew the answer but he wanted to hear the ‘yes’ himself. 

“I’d give you anything,” It was a simple phrase but coupled with the look on Jinyoung’s face, it felt heavy. Like Jinyoung really meant it. Mark’s reaction was delayed as he realized this and then a grin bloomed across his lips. “But if you steal all my warm coats this winter and leave me with nothing I’ll be really sad. And cold.”

Mark’s first instinct was to laugh, so he did. But then he realized what Jinyoung was insinuating: that they would be together this winter. And so Mark’s eyes shined, looking into his boyfriend’s warm ones with all the affection he had. “I promise I won’t.”

After a few more seconds of loving eye contact, the tailor pointed to a suit and told Jinyoung to put it on. As Jinyoung pulled his shirt over his head, Mark’s eyes widened and then leaned back on the couch with a smirk, “Aw babe, are you going to strip for me?”

Jinyoung’s eyes creased as he laughed, “No, I am most definitely not stripping for you.”

Mark pretended to pout, his bottom lip jutting out as he made his eyes as big as possible. He was just fucking with Jinyoung but wanted to make it as convincing as possible, “Please, daddy?”

Next to him, Alex almost spit out the iced coffee he was drinking and Mark saw Jinyoung’s ears go red and sat back with a satisfied grin. 

“You’re the worst,” Jinyoung muttered, avoiding everyone’s eyes as he took off his pants.

“Yeah, I take back what I said,” Alex said, uncrossing and crossing his legs again. “Please don’t ever take Mark anywhere with you.”

Mark only grinned harder as he poured salt in the wound, “I love youuu.”

“I love you more but you’re ridiculous,” Jinyoung said with a shake of his head as he put on the dress pants.

“At least I know that your love is unconditional,” Mark said in syrupy sweet voice. 

Jinyoung went on to try on multiple suits, each one more drool worthy than the last. Mark’s eyes were glued to Jinyoung, as if they weren’t already. 

“I wish I could go to this premiere,” Mark said with a sad smile, knowing exactly why he couldn’t.

“I’d take you in a heartbeat,” Jinyoung replied. “You know I would.”

Mark sighed and said, “I know. Who are you taking instead?”

“Who said I’m taking anyone?” Jinyoung said as he buttoned up a new shirt.

“Because you’re a big actor and if you went alone, you’d look lame,” Mark huffed. 

“You’re so cute when you’re all pouty,” Jinyoung commented, looking up from the shirt and giving Mark a charming smile. Mark swore his heart stopped beating for a second there. And then he waited expectantly for Jinyoung’s answer. “Just my female co-star.”

“Does she know you have a boyfriend?” Mark asked, hoping the answer was yes.

“Why? Would you get jealous?” Jinyoung asked, a smirk teasing at the corner of his lips as he tugged on the suit jacket.

Usually Mark would say no. He knew Jinyoung was his. He knew that Jinyoung only had eyes for him and would fend off anyone who tried to make a pass at him. But this time it wasn’t about a threat to their relationship. It was just wishing that Mark could stand next to Jinyoung on the red carpet, smiling to the cameras proudly. To get to sit next to him in the theater where they both watch his movie for the first time, Jinyoung’s hand in his. He didn’t want to think about another girl doing all this with his boyfriend. Not the hand holding, of course, but the rest. He was jealous of the the experience, not the girl. 

“A little,” Mark admitted. 

He saw Jinyoung frown and say, “You know she doesn’t mean anything to me, baby.”

“I know, but I just wish I could be next to you,” Mark mumbled as he looked down at the floor, feeling embarrassed that they were having this conversation in front of others. 

He felt warm hands on the sides of his face and a pair of lips pressed into his hair. “I wish that too.”

Mark smiled at the kind gesture and felt Jinyoung’s hands messing up his hair a little in an affectionate way. 

Once Jinyoung stepped away, Mark glanced up and gave Jinyoung a look over. He had been looking at his boyfriend’s face and hadn’t taken the time to look at the suit he was wearing. It was all black with a crisp white button down and a tie that looked like it was made out of ribbon. It was tied into a loose bow and Mark’s eyes flashed immediately when Jinyoung turned around fully.

“That one,” Mark said, no hesitation in his voice. 

Jinyoung smirked as he buttoned the cuffs, which only made Mark’s eyes widen more. If he wasn’t careful he might have actually started drooling. “This one, baby?”

Mark nodded his head, his eyes snapping to Jinyoung’s. His boyfriend smirked again and Mark swore he was doing it on purpose.

“I take back what I said,” Jinyoung’s eyebrow raised. “I don’t want to go to the premiere.”

His boyfriend looked confused, “Why not?”

“Because I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you in that,” Mark explained. “Hell, I don’t even know if we’d make it to the premiere, I’d try to undress you in the car ride over.”

“Duly noted,” Alex said.

And Mark looked over in confusion. He had forgotten that Alex was even there. “I’ve learned a lot from this conversation, one that Mark needs to be banned from all future premieres and two that if Mark has this strong of a reaction, Jinyoung is definitely wearing that suit.” 

Mark frowned, not liking Alex’s conclusion, and Jinyoung laughed. “Aw baby it’s okay, I’ll just see you after the premiere.”

And suddenly Mark wasn’t frowning anymore.

 

Mark was in the bathroom when Alex approached Jinyoung. “I feel like I should have asked you this before, but why aren’t you taking Mark to the premiere?”

Jinyoung tilted his head, “Are you saying that you would be fine if our relationship went public?”

His manager shrugged, “I mean, you’ve never lied about your sexuality but you’ve never explicitly stated it to fans either. And Mark has a big following so it wouldn’t exactly hurt your reputation. It’s not like there aren’t a lot of gay actors in Hollywood, you’d probably lose a few movie deals but the publicity would be great.”

He frowned, “But that’s the problem. Mark has a lot of female fans and while it probably wouldn’t hurt my career all that much, it would hurt his.”

“So you’re officially hiding it?” Alex asked. Jinyoung never outright said, ‘keep me and Mark a secret’ but Alex had covered for him before, making sure that people didn’t say anything about their relationship. 

Jinyoung nodded, “If it was up to me, I would be proudly taking him to this premiere and all premieres after this. I love him and I don’t think I should have to hide that because of teenage girls thinking they have a chance with my boyfriend. But at the same time, I love Mark and doing anything that would impact him negatively would kill me.” 

“When did you get this sappy?” Alex joked and Jinyoung rolled his eyes. “But okay, noted. I just wanted to get a clear sense of what was going on because I’m sure in the interviews for the movie promotion they’ll ask about your love life.”

“And I will artfully bypass these questions,” Jinyoung affirmed. 

Alex smiled and clamped him on the back, “That’s my boy. I’ve taught you well.”

 

When the fitting was over, Mark and Jinyoung walked back to the car. Jinyoung squeezed Mark’s hand to get his attention. “Hey, are you really jealous of the actress I’m taking to the premiere?”

Mark shook his head, “I’m jealous that she gets to dress up and be introduced to everyone as your date. Not of her actually being your date.”

Next to him, Jinyoung nodded to himself, “She knows, by the way.”

“Knows what?” Mark asked, not understanding what his boyfriend was referencing.

“That I’m dating someone,” Jinyoung replied. “Not you, of course. Just in general.”

“So she’ll keep her hands to herself?”

Jinyoung laughed at the question, his gentle laughter putting a smile on Mark’s face. “We’ll have to interact for the pictures, babe. Any guy would foam at the mouth over the thought of her being their date, if I don’t look at least a little interested it would be weird. I’m supposed to be straight after all.”

Mark understood but he still pouted for attention as they got into Jinyoung’s car. “But you’re gay and also mine.”

His boyfriend gave him a sympathetic smile and held his cheek, “I know baby, but no one else does.” 

Mark looked down and nodded. He understood but sometimes he wished they weren’t famous so they could act however they wanted whenever they wanted. He felt Jinyoung’s thumb brush over his cheek gently and looked up, “If you want, my sister is getting married in a month. You can dress up and I’ll introduce you to everyone as my boyfriend. How does that sound?”

His lips stretched into a wide smile and Mark said, “Perfect.”

Jinyoung leaned in and kissed him. As he felt Jinyoung’s lips on his, Mark realized what that meant. Jinyoung’s sister’s wedding. Jinyoung’s family. Jinyoung was inviting him to meet his family. And Mark just said yes.

“I would have invited you sooner but I forgot and Alex reminded me today as we were leaving,” Jinyoung said but Mark was barely listening. “But everyone there will be family and close friends so you can act however you want and no one will say anything about us.”

“I’ll meet your family,” Mark said with wide eyes. 

“Yeah, baby. You will,” Jinyoung said, his voice as soft as his touch. “They’re excited to meet you, by the way.”

“You told them about me?” Mark felt his eyes get wider. He felt nervous, but also happy that his boyfriend’s parents wanted to meet him. 

Jinyoung pushed Mark’s fringe to the side and said, “Of course. You’re the most important part of my life, why wouldn’t I have told them?”

Mark froze as the words sunk in. The most important part of his life. Mark was the most important part of Park Jinyoung’s life. If someone told him that he would be hearing this a year ago, he would have fainted. “I-I just didn’t know. I didn’t know you talked about me.”

With a gentle smile, Jinyoung said, “Of course I do.” And then something flashed in his eyes and he said, “Are you saying your parents don’t know about me?”

Mark shook his head and saw how surprised Jinyoung seemed. “Do they know about you?”

“Oh yeah,” Mark replied, smiling to himself at the memory. “Caught me making out in bed with one of my high school boyfriends and it was all downhill from there.”

“That’s how you came out to your parents?” Jinyoung’s light smile had Mark seeing hearts. 

“Not technically, after that they awkwardly asked me over breakfast one morning if I had any girls I liked and I just dropped my fork and said, ‘I’m gay, mom. That guy was my boyfriend.’ and it took them a good 20 seconds to respond,” Mark laughed.

“But they’re supportive now?”

Mark nodded, “It took them a little to wrap their head around it, but now they’re totally fine about the whole thing.”

He saw Jinyoung smile at him and then asked, “I’m assuming your parents are too?”

“Yep, I came out to them when I was 19. I was super nervous but I sat them all down and told them. And then they told me that they’d known for years,” Jinyoung replied, his hand finding Mark’s. “They basically ask if I have a boy to bring home every time we talk. I was really happy to tell them I was dating someone as amazing as you.” 

As if on cue, Mark’s cheeks flushed and he said, “You’re making me blush.”

“I know,” Jinyoung sighed happily and brought Mark’s hand to his lips, pressing a quick kiss to the back of Mark’s hand. “So, where do you want to go?”

“Can we get boba?”

“Your wish is my command, my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmmmmmmmm only a few months away from the 6th month mark, what do you guys think will happen? I'm planning for maybe 3 more chapters until they get found out. are you excited or nervous?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is so long and when I wrote it I thought it was going to be too short, oops.
> 
> also theres a reference to the show parks and rec in here so if you find that yooo ;)

“Do I look okay?” Mark’s hand was clutching Jinyoung’s as his eyes scanned the area around him. Everything was green with hints of white and light pink. The vineyard before him was beautiful. Mark thought he couldn’t have picked a better setting for a wedding. 

He felt bad because he probably asked that same question about five times on the drive up. But Mark couldn’t help but be nervous. Jinyoung’s family knew he was coming, so at least their first meeting wasn’t going to a be complete surprise but… still.

“You look more than okay, love,” Jinyoung said again. It made Mark feel bad, he didn’t want to burden Jinyoung but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t stop asking. He knew that the suit looked good on him. The way that his boyfriend’s lips parted and pupils dilated when Mark walked out of his apartment told him that. 

At this point, the question wasn’t even about his appearance. He just wanted emotional reassurance in the form of Jinyoung’s calm voice. Usually when he stepped into Jinyoung’s world, whether it was a movie shoot or a photoshoot, Mark felt comfortable coming and going on his own. He didn’t feel out of place and Mark hoped that this would have the same feeling. 

But as Mark stepped out of the car and started walking towards the venue with Jinyoung, he felt himself walking closer and closer to Jinyoung. Mark’s eyes were darting all over the place, trying to familiar himself with everything. People were walking by but he didn’t know what Mark’s family looked like and that made him worried. He felt Jinyoung’s thumb rubbing circles into his hand and it reminded him to take a breath. 

It seemed like an hour of walking around before Mark felt himself being tugged into a new direction. And then all of sudden he was standing in front of two people with big smiles on their faces. Mark saw familiar features between them. He saw Jinyoung’s eyes, nose and cheekbones between the two faces. It dawned on him that these were Jinyoung’s parents. 

And their attention was on Jinyoung. His mother had her hands up patting her son’s face saying how handsome her son had gotten. In Mark’s opinion, that was an understatement. Jinyoung was so incredibly handsome, Mark would have believed he was a demigod. But he was happy that their attention wasn’t directed towards him. 

But then he felt eyes on him and he turned to see Jinyoung’s father looking at him. Mark’s throat went dry as he tried his best to smile like he wasn’t internally freaking out. His boyfriend’s father smiled back and Mark felt his heart race. He felt Jinyoung move from holding his hand to putting an arm around Mark’s back. 

“Mom, dad, this is the love of my life,” Mark heard Jinyoung’s voice as if he was underwater and then suddenly got pulled to the surface. Love of his life? Is that what Jinyoung thought of him as? Now Mark’s heart was in overdrive but not because he was nervous but because he couldn’t believe what he just heard. Mark didn’t get introduced as Jinyoung’s boyfriend. No, he was the love of his life. 

Jinyoung’s mother smiled sweetly as her hand went over her heart, “And does the love of your life have a name?”

“Mark,” He said, stepping in. Mark was just glad that he didn’t stutter. Jinyoung’s mom gave off this aura of warmth just like Jinyoung did. Maybe that was why his heart calmed down. “Mark Tuan.”

He extended his hand and she took it in between both of hers. They were as warm as her smile and Mark felt a natural smile of his own bloom. “You’re very handsome, my son picked well.”

Mark knew he was blushing and he heard Jinyoung laugh, “Oh I didn’t pick him, Mark chose me.”

And Mark’s cheeks felt warmer as he lowered his eyes in embarrassment and then raised them up to see Mark’s parents looking at him with curiosity. “If I didn’t come up to you then we would have never met.”

Jinyoung’s arm around him tightened and his boyfriend said with an affectionate smile, “And I’m eternally grateful.”

But then someone came up to Jinyoung’s parents and said something about the bride needing them.

“They’re waiting for us inside so we better go,” Jinyoung’s father said. He glanced towards Mark, “It was nice meeting you.”

“I’m sure we’ll see you later,” Jinyoung said and his mom pinched his cheek. “We better, we have a lot of catching up to do.”

Mark saw Jinyoung’s ears redden again and smiled. He waved as they left. Jinyoung mentioned something about finding their seat for the ceremony and they went in another direction.

 

“So Mark, what do you do again?” Jinyoung’s father asked him. They were all sitting at a table eating dinner at the reception. Mark had gotten introduced to Jinyoung’s sister and her husband just minutes before. He smiled when he heard Eunji, Jinyoung’s sister, whisper to Jinyoung about how Mark’s even more handsome in person. 

“Dad, it’s Eunji’s night you can interrogate my boyfriend later,” Jinyoung stepped in. Mark felt caught in the middle but then Eunji waved her hand in the air.

“I have all night, I wanna hear about Mark too,” She said. 

Mark was usually on the shier side around strangers but somehow he felt even more shy around Jinyoung’s parents. The last parents he met were one of his teenage boyfriend’s. And they were in high school so it wasn’t even a big deal back then. Once him and his friends dropped out of college when the band took off, he didn’t really have time to date around much. And certainly no one was serious enough about him to have Mark meet his parents. So this was all new to Mark.

He looked back and forth from Eunji to Mr. Park to Jinyoung and decided it was okay to answer, “Um, I’m in a band.”

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot I had Eunji look you up after Jinyoung said he was dating you,” Mr. Park said shamelessly.

“You had my sister google my boyfriend?” Jinyoung said, eyebrows raised. Mark couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed or surprised. He liked seeing Jinyoung on the vulnerable side, usually Jinyoung was as calm as the ocean.

“Oh please, as if you didn’t google me as soon as I told you my name,” Mark heard himself say, forgetting he was trying to impress Mark’s family. He was used to chiding Jinyoung when they were together. His cheeks turned pink but Jinyoung grinned at him.

“Actually I didn’t, thank you very much. I remained blissfully ignorant to who you were until Alex told me,” Jinyoung shot back with a teasing smile. Mark knew this of course and smiled too. 

Only then did he feel brave enough to look across the table at Jinyoung’s family. His sister was grinning and his parents were looking at him with curious fondness. 

After a moment of pause, Eunji said, “But yes, dad had me look Mark up. Not that I actually needed to, I knew who you were the second I heard your name.”

“You know my band?” Mark asked, feeling a little weird knowing that Jinyoung’s sister knew who he was. He hoped he met her expectations.

“Who doesn’t? I may be old and married now, but I listen to the radio,” She said with a flash of teeth. “I actually went to one of your shows a couple years back with some friends. Do you still do that flip thing on stage?”

“Yeah,” Mark grinned. He was really well known for that trick. He was pretty sure that if he ever stopped doing it, his fans would riot. Mark glanced at Jinyoung with fond eyes, “It almost gave this one a heart attack when he saw it for the first time. Jackson still laughs about it.”

“I was like five seconds from running on stage, I thought you were going to die,” Jinyoung confessed, his sister laughed at him.

“Aww,” Mark cooed to just to annoy Jinyoung. “You were worried about me? That’s so embarrassing, babe.”

He saw a little smirk appear on Jinyoung’s lips and smiled wider.

“So, you didn’t know who Mark was but Mark, did you know Jinyoung when you first met him?” Eunji asked, looking interested.

Mark laughed awkwardly and said, “He was actually my celebrity crush for years.”

“Aww baby, you had a crush on me? That’s so embarrassing,” Jinyoung said, using the exact same tone as Mark. His eyes were shining with amusement. 

“Anyways, moving on…,” Mark said with a flat voice as he tried to avoid further embarrassment. 

But he felt Jinyoung’s arm around him and then Jinyoung said, “Moving on? What, you’re not going to go on and on about how you’ve seen all my movies and even saw your favorite one in theaters five times?”

“I knew I shouldn’t have told you that,” Mark said with pink cheeks. 

“Which one?” Mrs. Park asked, a smiling dancing on her lips. Jinyoung’s family seemed to be enjoying the way they playfully bickered. 

“I bet it was Midnight Battles,” Eunji said, leaning in. “Mark probably liked Jinyoung in a uniform, all sweaty with his hair swept back.”

She winked at him and Mark blushed harder. That wasn’t his favorite but it was up there on the list. He would admit to watching that several times with Jackson. 

“No, it was probably Coffee Shop Romance,” Mrs. Park said, shaking her head. “Jinyoung was so charming in that one.”

Another good one, but also not right. Jinyoung smiled expectantly at Mark, waiting for him to answer with. 

“It was actually Central Park Rendezvous,” Mark admitted. 

“The one where Jinyoung was a vet?” Mr. Park asked and Mark nodded.

“He just looked so cute with all the dogs,” Mark said and then added, “Plus he looked handsome in a doctor’s coat…”

“I knew it!” Eunji said and Jinyoung rolled his eyes. “You thought it was the war one!”

She sighed as if he was missing the point, “I knew he liked you in uniform, so I was sort of right.”

“You did look pretty hot as a soldier,” Mark commented, looking at his boyfriend.

Jinyoung grinned and said, “You know, I do still have that costume…”

Mark raised his eyebrow and saw Jinyoung’s eyes flash with something before Eunji said pointedly, “Okay so anyways, you knew Jinyoung before Jinyoung knew you.” 

Mark nodded and felt Jinyoung’s arm fall to the back of his chair. Even though it wasn’t around his shoulder, he still felt the warm of his boyfriend’s arm against his shoulder blades. It didn’t feel as possessive, instead it just felt familiar and safe. He liked this better. 

“How did you two meet? It sounds like an unlikely meeting,” Mr. Park asked. 

“We met at a party for actors,” Jinyoung replied. “Alex had me go to a nightclub to get notes on my new character and Mark approached me.”

“You came up to Jinyoung?” Eunji asked, looking between them. “I thought it would have been the opposite.”

“On any other night it would have,” Jinyoung assured, his fingers curling around Mark’s shoulder.

“But that night he was too busy being a brooding actor so I had to make to make the first move,” Mark teased, leaning his head on Jinyoung’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, and you were a sly little minx,” Jinyoung teased back.

“Hey, I’m older than you that makes me a cougar not a minx,” Mark joked. He watched Jinyoung smile so hard that his eyes creased and Mark’s heart skipped a beat. He loved seeing those little lines next to Jinyoung’s eyes. They were so cute.

“Are you willingly calling yourself a cougar?” Jinyoung laughed, his eyes shining. Mark opened his mouth to fire back when Mrs. Park asked, “Are you actually older?”

Mark nodded, “Yep, one year.”

“And 18 days,” Jinyoung supplied, leaning his head on Mark’s. He was surprised that Jinyoung remembered. He knew the look on his face was probably too telling of his affection for Jinyoung, but he didn’t bother to hide it. Mark never did. He wore his love for Jinyoung like a badge, proudly displayed over his heart. 

“You guys are so cute,” Eunji said, her voice as soft as her smile.

“Thanks, but Mark’s the cute one,” Jinyoung said as he lifted his head and sat back like before. Mark felt himself blush again. 

 

“I like him,” Jinyoung heard his mom say after Mark left to get more cake. 

He turned to her with hopeful eyes, “You do?”

She smiled, “He’s funny. At first I thought he was just going to be a pretty face but after he got comfortable around us, he’s witty. He matches you well.”

“I think so too,” Jinyoung said, feeling pride swell up. “His sharp tongue is what had me interested in him in the first place. He didn’t walk on eggshells around me.”

“Oh his tongue, huh?” Eunji winked at him and Jinyoung rolled his eyes.

“I can assure you that’s great too,” He said and she pretended to gag. Jinyoung grinned. He missed teasing his sister. He hadn’t seen her in months, in fact he hadn’t seen any of his family in months. He felt bad for working so much. He hoped that would change with taking more time off starting next year. 

“I was a little cautious of him when he said he was your fan,” His dad started. “But he really seems to care for you.”

“He does, dad,” Jinyoung said with a warm smile. “He’s the best part of my life. I couldn’t see myself without him now.”

“And you think he feels the same?” Eunji asked, picking up another bite of her cake with her fork.

Jinyoung was about to respond when his mother cut in, “Oh he definitely does. All I’ve wanted is for someone to look at you the way Mark does. Eunji found her special someone and I’m glad to see you have too.”

His mother’s words meant a lot to him. Although they had only been dating for around five months now, he felt that draw to Mark. Like Mark was the sun and he was the universe orbiting around him. Mark wasn’t just some guy he was dating, Jinyoung really felt strongly about him. When he pictured his future, Mark was always beside him in every situation.

And then Mark plopped down in the seat next to Jinyoung, putting a piece of cake in front of him. “Now I know you said you didn’t want any more but I saw you eyeing the chocolate cake and grabbed you some.”

Jinyoung knew he had fondness shining in his eyes. His heart was beating out of his chest with the rush of affection that Jinyoung felt for his boyfriend. He kissed Mark’s cheek and watched the light dusting of pink appear over Mark’s cheeks. 

Mark reached up to touch his cheek with a small smile and asked, “What was that for?”

“Just saying thank you,” Jinyoung replied as he put his arm back around Mark.

“Wait, don’t you need that hand to eat?” Mark asked, noting the position change.

“I don’t if you feed me,” Jinyoung said and then opened his mouth. Luckily his boyfriend smiled and cut off a piece of the cake.

“I love my high maintenance boyfriend,” Mark said as he fed it to Jinyoung.

“Me?” Jinyoung said as he chewed. He swallowed and said, “Clearly you’re the high maintenance one in our relationship.”

Mark shrugged and then nodded, “Yeah, I’ll take that.” 

Jinyoung felt a smile grow as he carded his hand through the back of Mark’s hair. His boyfriend looked over at him with an affectionate smile and leaned in. His kiss tasted like the strawberry cake Mark was eating, sweet just like him. 

 

And then came the first dances. Jinyoung watched his sister dancing with her husband for the first time and grinned from ear to ear. He was so happy for her. When he started acting, he stopped being able to be a good big brother and always protect her. He was glad she had someone by her side forever now. He didn’t have to worry as much. 

When others started joining her on the dancefloor, he felt Mark shrink into his chair. Jinyoung smirked and stood up, offering his hand to Mark who quickly shook his head. “Oh no, no no.”

But Jinyoung wasn’t taking no for an answer, he took Mark’s hand and pulled him out of his seat. Mark planted his feet into the ground but Jinyoung pulled harder as he dragged his boyfriend to the dancefloor. 

As soon as they got there, he saw Mark’s wide, scared eyes. He hadn’t seen them since they left the car that morning. “What are you worried about, baby?”

“I can’t dance,” Mark admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“Sure you can, come on,” Jinyoung said. He really wasn’t taking no for an answer. But this time when he tugged on Mark’s hand, Mark let him. 

“But everyone will see,” Mark said as his eyes darting around him. Jinyoung could hear the worry in his voice.

He stopped walking and faced Mark, putting Mark’s arms around his neck and his hands on Mark’s waist, “Let them see. No one will care how you dance with a face like yours.”

Mark looped his arms around Jinyoung’s neck, his eyelashes fluttering as Jinyoung started moving his feet. “How do you even know how to dance?”

“I’m a movie actor, love,” Jinyoung said simply. “I was going to say, do you know how many movies I’ve had to dance in? But then I realized, yes. Yes you do know.”

His grin widened as Mark rolled his eyes, “Never should have told you…”

Jinyoung leaned in to kiss him softly, “I think it’s cute.”

“Please keep thinking I’m cute and not cringy,” Mark replied. The face he was making was adorable. 

“I promise to think you’re cute forever,” Jinyoung said as he kissed Mark’s cheek.

They were successfully dancing and Mark stopped looking around to see who was watching. Instead, he put his head on Jinyoung’s chest and Jinyoung smiled to himself, holding Mark close. They danced for a few more songs until Mark got thirsty and they left to grab him water. 

The two of them mingled through the crowd for another hour or so. Jinyoung caught up with family friends, introducing Mark as the love of his life each time. He loved seeing the way that Mark’s eyes lit up whenever he said it. 

People asked them questions about their relationship and most of the time Jinyoung let Mark answer. His boyfriend always spoke up first, his enthusiasm heard through his voice. Once Mark broke the ice with Jinyoung’s parents, he seemed much more comfortable talking to other strangers. Jinyoung just watched him with awe, one hand around Mark’s waist. 

 

“Babe!” Jinyoung heard. The syllables were drawn out but it was unmistakably his boyfriend’s voice. He turned to the right and suddenly had a chest full of Mark. 

Jinyoung stumbled back a little on the impact. Mark pushed his cheek into Jinyoung’s chest, haphazardly putting his arms around Jinyoung. His eyes were closed but he was happily smiling, seeming very satisfied with himself. It took Jinyoung all of two seconds to smell the alcohol on his boyfriend’s breath.

He held Mark to him to make sure Mark wouldn’t fall over. “Hi baby.”

“Mmm hi,” Mark hummed, looking up at Jinyoung with a wide, lazy smile. 

“Are you drunk?” Jinyoung asked, already knowing the answer. He left Mark alone because he seemed to be getting along with someone from his brother-in-law’s side, but apparently now he had too much fun. 

But Mark shook his head with too much vigor to be taken seriously. He started giggling, “No.”

“No?” Jinyoung asked, his voice a little firmer in hopes of getting a better answer. 

Mark shook his head again, “I only had three drinks, how could I be drunk?”

“Because you weigh like two pounds, love,” Jinyoung said, holding Mark’s flushed face between his hands. “You have no body fat.”

His boyfriend wasn’t even paying attention. He just looked up at Jinyoung with pure adoration. “You’re so pretty. My Jinyoungie is so pretty.”

Jinyoung couldn’t help but laugh softly. At least his boyfriend was a cute drunk. He smiled and Mark smiled back, brighter than before.

“I love you,” Mark said, his eyes shining.

“I love you too,” Jinyoung said back automatically. His heart melted at the way his boyfriend reacted to his words. 

“I wanna get married,” Mark slurred. 

The words shocked Jinyoung. With everything that happened that day, he couldn’t help but want something like this for himself. But that was all way in the future, he thought. But then again, his boyfriend was drunk so Jinyoung decided to humor him, “Right now?”

Mark shook his head and furrowed his brows like Jinyoung was dumb, “No of course not, silly. You’re not even wearing white.”

Jinyoung tried not to laugh at his boyfriends reasoning as he wrapped his arms around Mark’s waist and Mark put his hands on his chest. Jinyoung asked, “I would be the one wearing white?”

His boyfriend thought for a second and then said, “No, I’d wear white.”

“And I’d wear black?” Jinyoung questioned. They hadn’t talked about anything like this before. He wondered if his boyfriend wasn’t drunk, how long it would have taken to bring this up.

Mark grinned, “Yeah, you look so hot in black.”

“Like right now?” Jinyoung asked. He knew he should be responsible and try to sober Mark up a bit, but he was having too much fun.

“Mhm,” Mark nodded, affirming his opinion. 

“Okay when we get married I’ll make sure to wear black,” Jinyoung said without thinking.

His boyfriend’s eyes lit up, “We’re getting married?”

Jinyoung realized his mistake and hoped Mark was too drunk to notice, “No, love. I said if we get married.”

“Oh,” He saw Mark’s face fall and then lit up. “Is there ice cream here? I want ice cream.”

Crisis averted. While Jinyoung wouldn’t mind marrying this drunk cutie, he thought that they probably shouldn’t talk about their future for the first time while only one of them was sober. 

“There’s ice cream back in our room,” It was a lie but at least it’d get Mark home. 

His boyfriend grinned and said, “Then let’s go!”

They started walking when the guy that Jinyoung had left Mark with appeared, “Oh good, he found you. They kept coming by with champagne and I thought he’d be fine but after like two drinks he got really giggly and then I looked away for a second and he was gone.”

Jinyoung only smiled, “No you’re fine. I’ve never actually seen him drunk, it’s pretty cute actually.”

“Are you taking him home?” The guy smiled, looking at how Mark was holding onto Jinyoung’s arm with hearts in his eyes.

Jinyoung nodded, “Yeah I think it’s time for a cold shower and good night’s sleep.”

“Sleep? But you said we were getting ice cream!” Mark protested cutely. Jinyoung saw the guy laugh and wave his goodbye.

“I’ll get you ice cream, don’t worry baby.” Jinyoung really hoped that Mark would forget about that by the time they got to the hotel.

Mark seemed a little different once they got in the car. At first Jinyoung thought that Mark had sobered up a bit, but apparently leaving the giggly, cute phase meant entering the really horny phase. He thought that Mark being really clingy was just Mark being Mark but then he felt a hand on his thigh.

He tried to keep Mark at bay during the car ride, for the driver’s sake at least. But once they got to the hotel, it was hard to keep Mark back. 

Mark kept trying to unbutton Jinyoung’s shirt in the elevator but when Jinyoung pushed his hands away, he went for another tactic. Jinyoung suddenly had Mark’s arms around him and his lips pressing sloppy kisses to Jinyoung’s neck. Instead of it being annoying, Jinyoung couldn’t help but find this really amusing. 

When the doors of the elevator opened, he tried to walk forward but Mark wouldn’t budge. So he lifted him up and Mark wrapped his legs around Jinyoung’s hips, thinking that he had won Jinyoung over. But in reality, Jinyoung just needed to carry Mark to get him to their room. 

Opening the door was a bit of a struggle but once Jinyoung got Mark inside, he had every intention of putting Mark on the bed and then starting the shower. He successfully completed the first step and started to walk away but it caused Mark to get up and kneel on the bed with wide eyes. “Daddy, where are you going?”

Jinyoung froze midstep. 

“Aren’t you going to fuck me?” Mark asked, his voice whiny and on the brink of begging. One part of him wanted to keep walking, ignoring Mark’s drunken desire and to be a responsible boyfriend. The other, more prominent side of him was already walking back to the bed. 

“Is that what you want, baby?” Jinyoung asked and he saw Mark’s eyes widen and nod eagerly.

Jinyoung moved onto the bed and Mark reached out and pulled him down by his tie. It was a little too messy to be considered sexy but Jinyoung was fine with it. He settled himself between his boyfriend’s legs and Mark reached up to take off Jinyoung’s suit jacket. His hands were fumbling and eventually he gave up. Jinyoung wanted to laugh but he didn’t want Mark to be upset.

So instead he kissed Mark, taking his jacket in the process. He started on the buttons of Mark’s shirt but noticed that Mark’s lips were becoming less and less enthusiastic. He furrowed his brow and pulled back just in time to see Mark fall asleep. 

Jinyoung sat there for a second to see if Mark was really sleeping but then he heard Mark’s breathing change to the way it always is when Mark was asleep. He tried so hard not to laugh but it was impossible. His boyfriend just fell asleep kissing him. Jinyoung put a hand over his mouth to cover up his laughter and got off the bed.

He took off his clothes and then carefully took off Mark’s and tucked him into bed, sliding in next to him. Jinyoung hoped Mark remembered everything the next morning because he couldn’t wait to make fun of him. 

 

Mark woke up how he usually did, wearing nothing but boxers and in Jinyoung’s arms. But this time Jinyoung was already awake. Jinyoung was lying on his back, reading a script, and Mark had his head on his chest. He nuzzled into Jinyoung’s skin, searching for more warmth as he pulled the covers closer to himself. 

“You feeling okay, baby?” Jinyoung asked. Mark could have sworn he saw a smirk pulling at the edge of his lips. 

“Mhm,” Mark nodde, swatting away Jinyoung’s script and successfully pushing it out of Jinyoung’s hands.

His boyfriend laughed at him and said, “You always want my attention, don’t you?”

“Only because I love you,” He said, pulling himself closer. “And I’m high maintenance apparently.”

He felt Jinyoung’s hand in his hair, scratching at his scalp gently. Mark closed his eyes at the feeling. Jinyoung always spoiled him. “Well, you had my attention last night… until you fell asleep.”

Mark frowned, scrunching up his face. “What are you talking about---?”

And then the memories came flooding back of the night before. He remembered clinging to Jinyoung, trying to climb on top of him in the car back to the hotel, attempting to unbutton his shirt twice and failing miserably. His eyes shot open. 

He fell asleep kissing Jinyoung.

Mark covered his eyes with his hands, “Oh my god, I fell asleep and you were going to-- but I-- oh my god.”

He couldn’t even form a coherent sentence he was so embarrassed. And Jinyoung was laughing at him.

“I was wondering if you were going to remember,” His boyfriend said. Mark wanted to hide under the covers. 

“You even called me daddy but then you fell asleep kissing me,” Jinyoung said and Mark was sure he was saying all this on purpose. He pulled the covers over his head and held them there, hiding from his mean boyfriend.

“Baby, it’s okay,” Jinyoung said as he pried the covers back, exposing Mark. He carded his hand through Mark’s messy hair and said, “You looked so adorable I wasn’t even upset, I just took off your clothes and put you to bed.”

Although that made Mark feel a little better, Mark knew Jinyoung wouldn’t be that nice, “You’re going to tell everyone about this, aren’t you?”

“Oh most definitely,” Jinyoung grinned. “I already texted Jackson.”

Mark’s eyes widened. “No you didn’t.”

“Do you want to see the texts?” Jinyoung countered, grabbing his phone.

“No, you’re bluffing,” Mark said, trying to convince himself.

But his boyfriend started scrolling through his phone and then smiled, handing Mark his phone. Mark almost didn’t look.

Thought I should tell you that Mark got drunk off 3 glasses of champagne at my sister’s wedding and then fell asleep with me on top of him.

Mark covered his mouth. Not wanting to believe what he was reading. And then he saw Jackson’s wall of texts and practically died.

NO HE DIDNT

are you serious

I mean im not surprised about the champagne thing he’s such a lightweight

how did you let him drink that much he gets so giggly off of the second drink usually people cut him off

but wait he fell asleep with you on top of him? like….. on top on top of him?? like inside him???

he will NEVER hear the end of this

And then Jinyoung’s reply of, he wasn’t with me when he was drinking and no we were just kissing but lol please remind him of this all the time

Mark frowned and looked up at his boyfriend and then saw Jackson’s reply. still fucking hilarious

He felt his face fall at the embarrassment and knowledge that Jackson definitely meant it when he said that he’d never let Mark live this down. He could already imagine the little comments here and there that Jackson would make him suffer with.

“Aww baby,” He heard Jinyoung say as he was being enveloped into Jinyoung’s arms. “You could fall asleep while riding me and I wouldn’t hold it against you.”

Mark’s jaw dropped at the thought of it. The idea of doing such a thing was utterly mortifying to him. He frowned, not looking into Jinyoung’s eyes as he said quietly, “But you’d still tell everyone about it.”

He saw a shift in Jinyoung’s expression and then he was being rolled over onto his back with his boyfriend on top of him. Jinyoung’s warm hand held his cheek steadily as he said with such sincerity, “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t think it would make you so upset. I won’t do something like that again, okay?”

Mark nodded. With the look in his boyfriend’s eyes, he knew that Jinyoung meant it. He was upset, sure, but Mark didn’t know he looked upset enough for Jinyoung to apologize like this. Maybe he took it a little harder than he should have.

When Mark accepted his apology, Jinyoung asked, “Now, what can I do to make up for it?”

He felt himself smiling widely. Maybe he didn’t look that upset but Jinyoung was just sensitive to his feelings. Jinyoung loved him, that much was obvious. But maybe it was that Jinyoung loved him so much that he didn’t want to Mark to feel bad in any way. They teased each other constantly, every conversation was filled with banter but Jinyoung knew instantly when he crossed the line. And for that Mark felt his chest warm and his expression soften.

“Make love to me.”

It was a simple request but one that Jinyoung seemed happy to oblige to as he kissed Mark’s cheek and said, “I’d love to.”

Mark felt the ghost of Jinyoung’s lips left behind as he saw Jinyoung get out of bed and search through his and Mark’s shared suitcase. Mark rolled over onto his side and watched him with affectionate eyes. 

They decided to share a suitcase because they both knew that Mark was going to wear mostly Jinyoung’s clothes anyways and he had a lot of his everyday items at Jinyoung’s already. Mark’s drawer at Jinyoung’s was only filled with jeans and boxers. Everything else they shared. Sometimes he wore Jinyoung’s underwear but his boyfriend’s briefs were a little too confining for his personal taste. 

When Jinyoung came back, he got under the covers and on top of Mark again. The way that he smiled at Mark as he settled between his thighs had Mark feeling restless. He wanted to pull Jinyoung close and feel his warm skin against his own. So, he did. 

Once Jinyoung’s forehead was touching his, Mark let go and intertwined his own fingers on the back of his boyfriend’s neck. Jinyoung’s soft gaze shot straight to Mark’s heart, warming his whole chest. 

As Jinyoung started to stretch Mark open, he kissed him with the utmost delicateness. It wasn’t at all what Mark remembered wanting the night before. Jinyoung was being slow and gentle with him instead of rough and heavy. Maybe it wasn’t what he wanted the night before, but it was just right for that morning. It felt perfect.

Jinyoung pulled away when he thought that Mark was ready. Mark watched his boyfriend move on the bed and then positioned himself between Mark’s waiting thighs. After aligning himself, Jinyoung looked back up and saw the way that Mark was looking at him and Mark saw a smile bloom across his lips. 

“You’re so cute,” Jinyoung said right before pushing in. He leaned down and kissed Mark on the lips, slow and sweet just like the movement of his hips. And then he traveled down to Mark’s neck, leaving soft kisses in his wake. 

The blonde smiled to himself, his heart doing flips. He wrapped his legs around Jinyoung’s waist and closed his eyes, enjoying having his boyfriend be this close. Since it was morning, the bed was all warm and cozy with their body heat melding together. If Mark could stay in bed with Jinyoung all day, he would. 

The warmth of the covers coupled with the bright morning sun shining on Jinyoung’s flawless skin had Mark falling even deeper in love. 

Everything felt so domestic. Mark often woke up to Jinyoung and showered with him and brushed his teeth next to him, ate breakfast with him, got driven home by him, but this was a whole other level of domesticity. Mark was so comfortable with Jinyoung. His boyfriend knew exactly what he liked by now and within seconds was getting Mark to let out long, drawn out moans with the right angle and speed. 

While Mark had been in this same position many times before, he thought as he watched the window pane shadows dancing on Jinyoung’s otherwise illuminated back, he didn’t feel bored at all. The familiar drag of Jinyoung’s cock thrusting in and out of his hole was the same, the lips on his skin were almost a permanent fixture these days and the pounding of Jinyoung’s heart was practically predictable at this point.

But Mark wasn’t over it. And he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be. 

Although it all was so similar, it still felt new and exciting. Mark didn’t want anything different. Sure, they could try a new position or something but it didn’t matter to Mark. What mattered was that Jinyoung was his. Their first night together felt amazing, easily the best sex Mark had ever had. But it wasn’t comparable to anything they had together in the last month. 

Mark could feel all of the love and affection that Jinyoung harbored with just a simple thrust. With just one kiss. With just a touch. Jinyoung’s love for him flowed off his fingertips and radiated off him. Mark felt completely surrounded by love all the time. 

He always loved stealing and wearing Jinyoung’s clothes but these days Jinyoung would tug one of his shirts over Mark’s head himself. He would look at Mark in his shirt and smile this heart warming smile that Mark could replay in his head for hours and then Jinyoung would kiss his forehead and go back to dressing himself. Mark loved that Jinyoung did that so often these days. It was like Jinyoung was covering him in his love, a little protective barrier from the outside world. Mark felt invincible all day afterwards. 

“I love you so much,” Mark heard. At first he wasn’t sure if the words came from his own lips or not. He had certainly been thinking them. But then he heard Jinyoung continue with, “So fucking much.”

And Mark’s legs tightened around his boyfriend as he whispered back, “I love you too. I’m so lucky to be yours.”

He meant those words. Mark could have ended up in a relationship with someone else if he would have just approached another guy that first night. Maybe he would have even fallen in love. But it wouldn’t be like this. Mark knew that this love that he and Jinyoung shared was unique and special. He didn’t think that anyone would ever treat him as well as Jinyoung did.

“I know I called you the love of my life yesterday and it threw you off a little,” Jinyoung breathed as he lifted his head from Mark’s neck. “I’ve been calling you that a lot lately but I hadn’t actually said it to you. So, I’m sorry about that. But I truly believe you’re the love of my life.”

Mark’s eyelashes fluttered as he tried to take in the meaning of Jinyoung’s words. His boyfriend had been referring to Mark as the love of his life to more than just the people at the wedding. Warmth spread over Mark’s skin as he smiled. He was the love of Jinyoung’s life. 

“You don’t have to think so too or anything,” Jinyoung said as an afterthought. “I just wanted to explain myself a little.”

But Mark shook his head, “No, I was actually just thinking that I don’t think I could ever love someone the way I love you.”

He saw soft contentment wash over Jinyoung’s features and smiled. 

“So maybe you were being serious about marriage last night,” Jinyoung laughed. Mark couldn’t tell if his boyfriend was serious or not. He saw seriousness in Jinyoung’s eyes but the lightness of his smile made Mark unsure.

At Mark’s look of confusion, Jinyoung supplied, “You were drunkenly saying we should get married.”

Mark’s eyes widened as he remembered that. His cheeks tinted pink. While he had been thinking about his and Jinyoung’s future recently, Mark hadn’t thought that he would explicitly state it. At least not for a while. “I’ve always wanted to get married. The idea of spending the rest of my life with someone has always been something I’ve wished for.”

“Me too,” Jinyoung said, his eyes bright with affection. 

There were promises left unsaid in the gazes that followed. Mark was glad to know that Jinyoung felt a similar way to him. It was too early to talk too seriously about something like that, but at least Mark knew where Jinyoung stood on the matter. He could picture himself with Jinyoung forever and with the way that Jinyoung was kissing him now, Mark thought that maybe Jinyoung could too. 

A few minutes later after Jinyoung distracted him with a hand on Mark’s cock, Mark was spilling into Jinyoung’s hand. He felt Jinyoung’s heavy breath on his neck as his boyfriend came too. He hoped that Jinyoung wouldn’t forget the things they talked about. Mark knew he wouldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright here is some calm before the storm! let me know what you thought :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to split this chapter because it was already 10,000 words and I hadn't even finished it so here is the first part of the european tour. I'm sorry I keep delaying stuff, but I hope you can forgive me.

After weeks of flying back and forth from LA to other cities across America, Mark was worn out. It wasn’t as bad as tour but he hated only being home for a handful of days at a time. Festival shows were fun because he got to hang out with his friends in other bands. But after a few, all it really meant were hours in badly air conditioned tents backstage having nothing to do and nowhere to go. 

Putting it lightly, it sucked.

Sure, Mark loved playing. The second he got on stage, his whole face would light up. He adored his fans and loved seeing familiar faces. It was his passion, it was what he was good at. But the traveling sucked and he couldn’t sleep. He hated sleeping in hotel beds. Mark despised hotels.

He didn’t like that they didn’t feel like home. The sheets weren’t exactly how he was used to and the pillows were never the right firmness. And he hated living out of a suitcase. His stage clothes were basically whatever he felt like wearing that day, so that was nice. At least Mark didn’t have to wear a jacket or all black in the blistering sun. 

Ugh, the sun.

Playing 45 to 90 minute sets where he was blinded by the sun was also not on the top of Mark’s list of favorable activities. Often times he would wear light wash ripped skinny jeans and a baggy tank top but that meant lathering himself in sunblock, which just seemed tedious at best. One time he forgot and Zack has yelled at him for it ever since. 

Seeing thousands upon thousands of people show up to watch his band play was incredible. Mark thrived in that environment. He loved meeting fans. He loved hearing their stories and watching them freak out. But it was tiring. Mark was exhausted and then to go home right after a show? Horrible. 

And to put the cherry on top of all of this, Jinyoung was too busy to see him. He hadn’t seen his boyfriend in weeks. Mark couldn’t exactly blame Jinyoung, he was filming. Jinyoung’s responses when he was filming were always delayed and Mark understood that being an actor wasn’t all fun and games. It was a real job.

But the problem with the delayed responses were that they were really delayed these days. Jinyoung’s filming days were long and strenuous. His boyfriend wouldn’t get home until late and since Jinyoung was usually on the other side of the country, it meant that Mark had gone to sleep hours before. 

Mark didn’t like sleeping alone as it was. He got used to sleeping over at Jinyoung’s most nights. Some nights he wasn’t able to but before the festival dates started, Mark spent more nights in Jinyoung’s bed than his own. He had more clothes at Jinyoung’s than in his own closet at this point. 

Sleeping next to Jinyoung was all he could think about after a long day in the summer heat. But Mark knew that when he went back to the hotel or flew back home, there would be no Jinyoung waiting for him. And that made him lonelier than ever. He at least wanted a cute goodnight text to fall asleep to, but even that was out of reach. Instead he woke up to fragments of a conversation he already forgot about, apologies for not replying sooner and texts filled with ‘I miss you’ and ‘I love you’s. 

He loved Jinyoung but with the label breathing down their necks to solidify the songs on their album, to do well in interviews and present themselves according to their image, he needed support. And belated support wasn’t cutting it. 

All Mark wanted was to fall into Jinyoung’s arms and to complain about everything on his mind. He wanted to complain about things that didn’t even matter, like how the stage crew only put one water bottle on stage for him instead of two. Or how their flight was delayed. Or that he hadn’t eaten all day and was craving sushi from that restaurant in Jinyoung’s building. 

And he knew that Jinyoung would listen to it all without interrupting him once. Mark knew he would be given Jinyoung’s full and undivided attention, maybe even some fingers through his hair and some cheek kisses on the side. But Jinyoung wasn’t here. And Jinyoung wouldn’t be. Mark didn’t even know how long it would be until he would see Jinyoung next because he left for the Europe tour the next morning.

So, at least two weeks. But Mark had already gone a few without Jinyoung. Four or five weeks without Jinyoung would be excruciating. With all the stress put on him already and the exhaustion, the thought of not seeing Jinyoung that long brought tears to Mark’s eyes.

He didn’t know how long he could live like this. And what would happen for the tour early next year? That was a three month tour. Mark would spend two whole months on the road without coming home once. Which meant two months without Jinyoung. 

He was falling apart at the seams over a lousy four weeks, how could he handle two months? Mark knew from the very beginning that Jinyong didn’t have time for a boyfriend but Mark told himself that he was the exception. But he wasn’t. And it was becoming more and more clear by the day. 

Mark needed someone who could be there for him, who would hear all his daily complaints gladly. He didn’t care if it was in person or over facetime, Mark just needed to feel like he had someone. And as much as he loved Jinyoung and he knew that Jinyoung wasn’t hurting him on purpose, Mark felt like Jinyoung wasn’t that person. Or at least he couldn’t be right now.

Mark was in the middle of packing, putting all the clothes he still had at his own apartment into a suitcase for the two week tour. Mark went to grab one of his favorite shirts when he realized that it was at Jinyoung’s. Everything was at Jinyoung’s. His heart and all his favorite clothes. Mark felt the tears swell up in his eyes and he tried to blink them back but they wanted to fall, so he let them.

He felt the warmth of them hit his cheeks and in his delirious state, they reminded him of his boyfriend. Jinyoung was the ice to his fire, but Jinyoung always kept him warm. The flame burning in his chest was flickering, yearning for Jinyoung’s strong arms. But Mark knew they weren’t going to come pick him up now. He knew that no one was going to wipe his tears and kiss his cheeks. He was alone.

But not entirely.

Jackson poked his head through the door, “Hey, have you seen my travel shampoo I think I left it in New York but I’m not-- Oh shit, are you okay?”

Mark shook his head, barely making out the shape of Jackson through his glossy eyes. A second later he felt Jackson next to him and then warm arms around him and a hand rubbing at his back, “It’s okay, everything is okay. You’re alright.”

How could Jackson even say that? Everything was not alright, he was not okay. Mark started crying over not being able to find a shirt, things were certainly not okay. “It’s not okay, Jacks.”

“What’s not okay?” Jackson’s voice was calm and soothing and Mark felt guilty for not leaning on his best friend sooner. They had been by each other’s sides for years now. Jackson knew him better than anyone. And yet Mark was fearing being alone. He felt like a terrible friend who got caught up in his relationship and dropped all his friends for his boyfriend. 

But at the moment Mark didn’t have tears to spare over that. He was too emotionally wrecked over Jinyoung. “I miss him.”

“Who? Jinyoung?” Mark nodded into Jackson’s shoulder. He knew his tears were making a wet spot on Jackson’s shirt but he just couldn’t stop crying. “When was the last time you saw him?”

“Maybe three weeks ago,” Mark sniffed. 

He felt Jackson hug him tighter, “Three weeks? That’s a long time for you guys. Is he filming something?”

Mark nodded, “I miss him so much but he doesn’t have time for me.”

It didn’t feel real until he voiced it outloud. But it was true. Jinyoung didn’t have time for him. 

“I’m sure he wants to spend time with you, he just can’t,” Jackson tried to console him but now that Mark had admitted his fear he couldn’t help but wonder about Jinyoung’s feelings.

“W-What if he’s falling out of love with me?” Mark stuttered, facing Jackson. “They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder but he takes half a day to text me back. It never used to be like this.”

He saw Jackson frown sadly, “I’m sure he’s still madly in love with you. Feelings that strong don’t change overnight.”

“It’s been two and a half weeks,” Mark countered.

“Okay fine, feelings as deep as the ones he has for you don’t change in two and a half weeks, twelve seconds and forty two breaths,” Mark knew that Jackson was trying to get him to crack a smile but Mark was anxious.

“But they could,” Mark said, looking down.

“But they haven’t, Mark,” Jackson said and Mark could hear all the sincerity in it. “If I know anything about Jinyoung, it’s that you are his first priority. You are everything to him. I’m sure this distance is hurting him just as much as it’s hurting you.”

“But what if it’s not?” At this point, Mark knew he was being unreasonable but the fear of Jinyoung drifting apart from him was terrifying.

“Does he still tell you he loves you everyday?” Jackson asked, his gaze steady and calm.

Mark nodded, the last text he got was wearing your pink hoodie to set today, but its not as cute on me as it is on you. I love you so much.

It had made him happy and sad at the same time. Happy that he knew that Jinyoung was thinking about him but sad that he couldn’t be there with Jinyoung. 

“Then what are you so worried over?” Jackson asked.

Mark looked down again, “I don’t know. I’m just worried.”

“When you come back from tour, I’m sure everything will go back to normal,” Jackson stated with confidence. “You guys are perfect for each other, a little time apart won’t change that.”

Mark sniffed again and rubbed his nose, “Maybe.”

“No maybes, it won’t,” Jackson said with absolute certainty, his words final. Mark couldn’t argue with him when he got like that so he just nodded. 

His best friend’s smile was understanding as Jackson rubbed his shoulder, “I haven’t seen you cry like that in a while.”

“I know,” Mark said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. 

“How about I order us pizza and we can watch a movie? We can watch one of Jinyoung’s.” Mark nodded, smiling. At least he would always have Jackson. 

 

The next day, Mark slept through his alarms. He woke up to see that it was 20 minutes past when the company van was supposed to pick them up. Panic struck him as he threw on clothes and ran out of his room. But it was silent. No one was there. All his members had left.

He scrambled around trying to figure out what happened when he found a note on the kitchen counter, we couldn’t wake you up, your ride will be here at 8:30

Fuck, that was soon. Mark was seething as he brushed his teeth and got all of his stuff together. Why couldn’t his friends have just tried a little harder? He couldn’t believe they left him behind like that. Especially Jackson after their whole conversation the night before.

Jackson knew how fragile Mark was. How could Jackson do that to him?

He checked the clock and it was time to leave. With a sigh, Mark picked up his luggage and made it down the stairs. He just hoped he could fall asleep on the car ride to the airport and then hopefully through the whole flight.

But when he pushed open the door he looked up and saw a familiar black car. And then familiar shoes. And then legs until Mark looked up to Jinyoung’s smiling face. He froze for a second, not believing his own eyes before dropping his luggage and running. It was a split second before Mark had his arms around Jinyoung and face pushed into Jinyoung’s neck. The beloved scent he hadn’t smelt for weeks filled the air around him and Mark’s arms tightened.

He felt Jinyoung’s arms curl around him just as tightly and a kiss being pressed into his hair. Mark was so happy, he couldn’t stop smiling. But then the tears came. He missed Jinyoung so much. And now he was finally here.

Jinyoung’s embrace loosened as he looked down at Mark, trying to figure out what was going on. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I just missed you,” Mark said, trying to solidify in his mind that Jinyoung was actually here. 

And then their hug was even tighter than before and Mark could feel Jinyoung’s fingers pressing into his skin through his clothes. “I missed you too, so much.”

And then the reality hit him and Mark looked up in question, “But wait, how did you…?”

“Jackson,” Jinyoung supplied with a sad smile. “He texted me saying how upset you were and I talked it out with Alex so I could come drive you to the airport. Which reminds me, we should probably get in the car if you want to make your flight.”

Mark smiled and nodded which caused another tear to spill over his cheek. Jinyoung wiped it away with his thumb and kissed Mark’s forehead. When he did, Mark closed his eyes and so Jinyoung gently kissed over both of his eyelids. It felt like his heart was bursting, this is what Mark needed. These were the simple gestures that he had been yearning for.

Jinyoung went to move away but Mark pulled him back in for a kiss that lasted too long for the little time they had. But Mark wouldn’t mind missing his flight for a few more seconds of Jinyoung’s lips on his. 

When they got in the car, Mark felt the distance between them and frowned. He wanted Jinyoung’s hands on him. He wanted a physical reminder that he was loved. But Jinyoung’s hand went to the gear shift instead of him and Mark’s eyes followed it. 

He could feel himself frowning when Jinyoung said, “You know sometimes I wish I drove an automatic just so I could hold your hand while I drive.”

Mark’s gaze lifted to his boyfriend’s profile, did he just read Mark’s mind?

“I was thinking about buying a new car last month and now I remember why,” Jinyoung laughed and looked over to Mark, who was smiling.

“You’d buy a new car just to hold my hand?” Mark asked, wanting to confirm what he was hearing.

“It was fun to drive a stick when I was single but now that I have you, it’s just a hinderance,” Jinyoung explained. “I get such little time with you as it is and we spend so much of it driving, I might as well be able to hold your hand during it.”

Mark felt a smile bloom across his lips. He hadn’t seen his boyfriend in almost a month but the feeling he got around Jinyoung hadn’t changed at all. His heart felt three times too big for his chest. He leaned his head against the headrest, facing Jinyoung with a soft smile. “What type of car would you get?”

Jinyoung bit his bottom lip as he thought, “Probably the same one. I really like her.”

“I still can’t believe you call your car a her,” Mark said with a shake of his head. He knew his eyes were shining with warmth and affection. 

“She’s beautiful!” Jinyoung said back.

Mark couldn’t help but laugh, “Babe, you’re gay.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge a woman’s beauty,” Jinyoung noted.

Mark sighed softly with contentment. He missed these little conversations. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jinyoung said without skipping a beat. They hit a stop sign and Jinyoung leaned over and kissed him. His hand on Mark’s cheek lingered as his thumb brushed over his cheek. Jinyoung’s gaze was steady and strong. His feelings clearly hadn’t withered at all.

“Okay, so I just wanted to talk about the last couple weeks now that we have a good forty minutes together,” Mark gulped. Even though Jinyoung just confirmed his love for Mark, he was still nervous. 

He looked over at Mark who nodded. “I don’t like waking up to texts about you having an emotional breakdown that I know I could have prevented.”

Mark nodded, not knowing what to say. “Okay.”

“I know you didn’t like the time apart, but neither did I. You must have known that, right?” Jinyoung said. His eyes glanced over to meet Mark’s. 

But Mark couldn’t meet his eyes. He felt guilty.

“Baby…,” Jinyoung sighed. “I missed you so much it hurt. I know our communication could have been better, but I don’t want you to ever think that I’m not constantly thinking about you.”

Jinyoung glanced over again, his eyes were so sincere. Mark nodded once again. They hadn’t had a conversation like this in a while. “I’m going to try harder this time, okay? If you ever need me, please tell me. I want you to be able to lean on me at all times.”

Mark could tell that Jinyoung felt bad and it made him feel even worse. How could he doubt Jinyoung’s love for him when Jinyoung never once gave him a reason to doubt it? 

“With that being said, I tried my hardest to get out of filming to come visit you on tour,” Mark braced himself for disappointment, closing his eyes. He knew that Jinyoung was too busy. The flights themselves took a whole day there and back, a whole day that Jinyoung couldn’t spare. Not to mention the days that he would actually spend in Europe with Mark. “And I can come for your last show, I think it’s in Paris?”

Mark’s eyes flew open and he grinned so hard it hurt, his body reacting before his mind could process the news. Did Jinyoung say that he could come to Europe? “Really?”

He saw his boyfriend nod with a gentle smile, “Yeah, I had to hassle Alex about it but he eventually got the director to switch some filming days around.” 

He couldn’t believe his own ears. Jinyoung in Paris with him. Jinyoung. In Paris. With him. “Oh my god.”

“Yeah I’ve got to get used to being on tour with you anyways with the spring tour and all,” Jinyoung said with a shrug, but Mark could see the smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He probably knew how much this meant to Mark.

“The spring tour?” Mark didn’t understand.

Jinyoung looked over with confusion, “That’s the one from late January to early March right?”

Slowly, Mark nodded. He didn’t understand.

“You seem confused,” Jinyoung commented.

“I am confused,” Mark replied, tilting his head.

“I mean, I know I’m going to miss the first week of tour but I’m still with you for the rest of it,” Jinyoung said, sounding confused himself.

This was news to Mark. He was too stunned to be excited, “You are?”

And then Jinyoung started laughing as they came to a stop on the highway. He looked over, “Yeah baby, did you forget? I took time off to be with you.”

Mark’s jaw dropped. “You took time off? You can do that?”

“Didn’t I tell you this?” Mark shook his head and Jinyoung’s eyes widened. “Oh. I must have not. But yeah, Alex asked if I wanted to take more time in between movies to be with you and it just so happened to work out with your tour. You do want me to come, right?”

Mark nodded eagerly, “Yes, 100% yes. Please come. I was so worried I had to be without you for so long.”

“I would go crazy,” Jinyoung admitted. “Which reminds me, I was going to ask you this when you came back from Europe but I thought I should probably give you time to think about it now.”

Mark tilted his head to the side, Jinyoung seemed nervous. What could Mark possibly need time to think about? They came to a stop again and Jinyoung faced him. He saw the nervousness in Jinyoung’s eyes and got worried himself.

“Do you want to move in with me?” And with those seven words, Mark’s world came to a halt. 

He thought that Jinyoung going on tour with him was earth shattering but this… this was incredible. He felt a smile lift the corners of his mouth, “You want me to move in with you?”

Jinyoung’s eyes darted from the road to Mark and then back to the road, “I just thought, you know with all of our different schedules it would be easier to spend more time together but if you think it’s too soon I would, um totally understand---”

“Yes.”

Jinyoung’s eyes snapped to his, a smile slowly growing. “Yes?”

“I would love nothing more than to live with you,” Mark said, completely truthful. He didn’t think this grin would ever leave his face. Park Jinyoung, the love of his life, just asked him if he wanted to move in together. Mark was beyond ecstatic.

He saw Jinyoung take a deep breath and then say, “I don’t know why I was so worried to ask, you practically live with me anyways.”

“Yeah I realized that too when everything I wanted to bring on tour was with you,” Mark agreed, not taking his eyes off his boyfriend. 

Jinyoung’s eye whiskers appeared as he smiled to himself, “I won’t even have to make room for you in my closet, you’re practically already moved in.”

It settled in that they were actually doing this, he was going to move in with his boyfriend. “But can we get new sheets? Your bedroom has no color, everything is grey.”

He saw Jinyoung’s eyes crease even more, “Of course you’d want to brighten it up, you are my sun after all.”

“Your sun?” Mark questioned, having never heard himself be referred to as that.

“In my head, I think of you as my sun and I am the planets orbiting around you,” Jinyoung said and Mark could tell that he was feeling a little embarrassed about this. “If you’re fire, then there’s nothing more powerful than the sun.”

“I’m your sun?” Mark said with a dreamy smile. 

“My whole world is you,” Jinyoung said simply.

With all the emotions running high, Mark felt his eyes twitch and get glossy again. He hoped he could hold the tears in this time. He just couldn’t believe that the night before he was worried about Jinyoung falling out of love with him when here Jinyoung was, proving just how deep his love for Mark went. 

When they got to the airport, Jinyoung pulled Mark over the center console and kissed him with as much love and passion as he could. It felt like the wind got knocked out of him. Mark was left breathless. When Jinyoung finally pulled back, he held Mark’s face between his hands and said, “I love you so much, please don’t forget that. And don’t forget what I said too, tell me how you feel. I want to be there for you through everything.”

Mark could barely get the words out as he realized that this is exactly what he wanted to hear from Jinyoung, “I love you too.”

With one last kiss, Jinyoung said, “I would help you with your luggage but I don’t want to draw attention to us, so just be safe okay baby? Text me when you land.”

“I will. Thank you for driving me,” Mark said, wanting to stay in Jinyoung’s car and in their little bubble forever. 

“You know I’d do anything for you.” 

And Mark did. 

 

Tour went how tour usually went. Exciting for the first week and then exhausting the second. Him and Bambam spent hours backstage in their dressing rooms writing new songs. With Jinyoung’s new promises, Mark was full of love and it was pouring through his pen and into his lyrics. He couldn’t stop writing. Especially not when he found roses backstage at every venue from Jinyoung. 

He knew that love songs weren’t their usual style, at least not these explicit, but Mark was never one to not be true to his feelings. Therefore, all of his songs were sappy and sugary sweet. At one time Bambam read something Mark was working on and just shook his head, “These are too cute, Mark. When do we ever write cute songs?”

“When your two lyric writers are in love,” Mark said with a blush. 

Jackson was a bit better about his lyrics, he was good at pulling feelings from memories and past experiences. But Mark wrote in the headspace he was in, which was either really good or really bad for being a lyricist. He wrote with passion but he also lacked motivation when he wasn’t in a good mood. But now Jinyoung was his muse and lyrics were flowing through his head nonstop. 

They promised their label that they would write a single while on tour but with Mark’s new inspiration, they were writing more than just one song. They could easily replace half the album with the amount of songs they were writing. When Bambam would go to bed after a show, Mark would resume writing with Yugyeom and Jackson, acoustic guitar in hand. 

The three of them would rewrite lyrics and copy down chord progressions for Bambam to look over in the morning and then the whole process would start again. 

But one song kept standing out amongst all of them. It was catchy and fun, total sing along material. But Bambam was worried that the lyrics were too happy and wouldn’t sound authentic to their band’s image. But Mark kept pushing back saying that it would make a good single. They were already authentic with Ocean Blues, which the fans loved, they could release this and be fine. 

He got Jackson and mostly Yugyeom on his side, but after a week of tour Mark still hadn’t gotten Bambam on board with making it their single. Mark had Bambam to agree to put it on the album, but as a single he was still apprehensive. But Mark was determined. He’d figure out some way to make it the single. He was sure of it.

There was another song, slower tempoed than they were used to that Mark wrote with Yugyeom late one night. When Jackson heard it in the morning, he was in awe. “This is perfect.”

“I know, and with a heavy focus on bass and drums I feel like it’d really bring in the second half of the album,” Mark said. 

“But don’t you think it’s too slow?” Yugyeom questioned nervously.

Jackson shook his head, “We have too many upbeat songs right now and with Mark and I writing, too many obvious love songs. This has a bittersweet melancholy taste to it. I think that the label and the fans will love the diversity.”

Surprisingly, Bambam agreed with him. Which made Mark proud and mad at the same time. He loved this song but it wasn’t the song. Luckily, no one had mentioned it for a single. 

 

On one of the nights on tour, Mark got a room to himself. It felt so lonely. He had gotten used to sharing a room with Jackson and the sound of Jackson sleeping in the other bed comforted him. But now he was all alone. But it wasn’t quiet.

He heard Bambam moan through the walls and then Yugyeom saying something that Mark couldn’t make out. Mark smiled to himself. Bambam and Yugyeom had been skirting around their feelings for each other for years now. Mark thought that Yugyeom was finally going to do something about it once Jackson and Bambam starting fucking on tour last year, but instead Yugyeom seethed in silence as he waited for tour to end and for Jackson and Bambam’s physical relationship to fizzle out. 

So Mark was happy that something seemed to be happening between the two of them. But now he was thinking about him and Jinyoung. Hearing Bambam’s moans only reminded Mark of his own. He wished he was being thrown around like it sounded like Bambam was. He missed Jinyoung but right now he really just missed Jinyoung inside him. 

He looked at the clock on his phone and saw that it was morning back home and grinned in hopes of catching Jinyoung before he went to work that day.

babe   
please still be home :(

The reply he got was almost immediate.

Yeah I’m home, why?  
About to jump in the shower.

Mark’s eyes widened and he smiled greedily as he felt his cock twitch between his thighs. Shower meant naked Jinyoung and fuck did he miss seeing Jinyoung naked.

omg send me pics

He opened the reply and could imagine the confused expression on his boyfriend’s face.

???  
You want pics of me going into the shower??

Mark rolled his eyes and typed back.

no lol i want nudes

Jinyoung was probably laughing at his desperation because he replied with, you really miss me that much?

Mark pouted but there was no one to see it. He had to be convincing in other ways.

daddyyyy   
come on pleaseeee

And right on cue, a couple photos came through. They were taken in Jinyoung’s their bathroom mirror. He could tell that Jinyoung didn’t have anything on because he could see just how deep the V of Jinyoung’s hips went. Mark might have drooled a little over his boyfriend’s taut stomach and strong arms. But then his eyes lingered on Jinyoung’s fingers.

He really missed those fingers. Without even thinking about it, his hand slipped under his pants. He trailed his hand further down and rubbed at his entrance. Mark’s eyes closed at the feeling. This is what he wanted, but he needed more. He groaned in annoyance that he had to go grab lube from his suitcase. He hated hotels.

While he worked himself open, Mark had his eyes closed and imagined all the times that Jinyoung did this for him. Jinyoung’s fingers were thicker than his. They always filled him up so well. Mark sighed. He wished his boyfriend could just be here to do this. But maybe he could get the second best thing. 

He hoped that Jinyoung wasn’t in the shower yet as he waited for Jinyoung to answer his facetime call. 

Mark grinned as he saw the screen change to Jinyoung’s face. He took in all of his boyfriend’s beautiful features and grinned harder. His boyfriend was so handsome. Mark’s fingers were thrusting lazily inside himself as he said, “Hi daddy.”

He saw Jinyoung laugh and heard the echo of it through his phone, “Hi baby. You know I really do have to shower, right?”

“But I’m horny,” Mark whined. “Help me get off and then shower.”

Jinyoung raised an eyebrow. Mark could tell that he was considering it, he just needed a little push. “Please, daddy? I miss your cock so much.”

“Oh so it’s just my cock you miss? Not even me?” Jinyoung teased and Mark frowned. Why was his boyfriend always so difficult? 

“I love you so much, you’re my favorite person ever, you’re the light of my life, I couldn’t imagine my world without you etc etc,” Mark rambled off playfully with a smirk on his face. “But seriously, I already have two fingers inside me so are you going to help me or not?”

“You’re playing with yourself?” That seemed to grab Jinyoung’s attention.

Mark grinned from ear to ear, his fingers rubbing with more intention now. 

“Mhm, but I wish it was you,” Mark said, his voice a little breathier as he let himself enjoy the feeling of his fingers. “My fingers aren’t as big as yours, daddy. They aren’t enough.”

He made his voice a little whinier just to get a reaction out of Jinyoung, which it did. He saw his boyfriend’s eyes darken. 

“Me too, baby boy. You know know I’d finger you for hours if I was there,” Jinyoung said, his voice lowering an octave. 

Mark eyes flashed and he rubbed with a little more pressure, feeling a moan escape his lips. This is what he wished Jinyoung was saying 5 minutes ago. 

“You sound so fucking good, I missed hearing you all needy and ready to be fucked.” He moaned again just hearing Jinyoung’s words. Mark thrusted his fingers faster, picturing that it was Jinyoung. 

“Are you imagining it, baby boy? My fingers inside you?” Jinyoung asked and Mark could hear a change in his boyfriend’s voice. He smirked as he rolled over to his side and propped his phone up next to him, Mark’s hand still between his legs. 

“I am daddy,” Mark moaned. “Are you touching yourself too?”

“Of course I am baby,” Jinyoung said with a lustful smile. “How could I not when I know you’re thinking about me like this?”

Mark could feel his cock against his stomach, the sheets getting wet with his pooling precum. He smiled hazily. It was getting him off that he was getting Jinyoung off.

“My hand feels good but not as good as you do, baby. I bet you’d feel so warm and tight,” Mark almost choked on his own spit with how low Jinyoung’s voice was. He could probably cum from just that alone. Even though he initiated this, Mark still couldn’t believe it was actually happening.

“Daddy,” Mark moaned and he saw Jinyoung smirk.

“Can I see baby?” Jinyoung asked. “What you’re doing to yourself?”

Mark nodded and moved onto his back again, spreading his legs and showing Jinyoung his hole. He dragged his fingers in and out of himself slowly, showing how stretched out he was. Mark smiled when he heard Jinyoung curse, “Fuck baby, I want to be inside you so bad.”

“You’d feel so good, daddy. You’d fuck me so hard,” Mark moaned, pulling his phone back to his face.

“Is that what you want baby? Hard and fast?” Mark moaned as a yes. “I’d bend you over the nearest surface and fuck you until your thighs shake.”

Mark’s lips parted with a moan and his eyes flashed at the visual. He couldn’t believe that they could finally have sex in just a couple of days. It had been so long, Mark couldn’t take this involuntary celibacy any longer. He could feel himself getting close so Mark said, “My cock is throbbing, daddy. Do you think I should touch it?”

He hoped that was enough for Jinyoung to pick up on. Mark really did mean it when he said that his fingers weren’t enough. He wished he had something to fuck himself on, something bigger than his slim fingers. 

“Show me, baby boy.” And Mark’s pupils dilated. He loved it when Jinyoung got all commanding, it was so hot.

He moved his phone so that his boyfriend could see his cock laying against his stomach, all red and leaking. Mark heard Jinyoung curse under his breath again, “It’s so wet, baby. Is that all because of me?”

“Mhm,” Mark whimpered, still fingering himself. It felt so good knowing that he was the reason why Jinyoung was getting off.

“Are you close, baby?” Jinyoung breathed. Mark moaned a yes and his boyfriend said, “Then you should touch yourself like how I touch you.”

Mark grinned, knowing that sweet release was soon upon him. He moved his fingers from his hle and wrapped them around his cock, stroking from the head down to coat himself in precum. It wasn’t the same without his boyfriend’s hand. They always knew just how to touch him. Jinyoung’s expert knowledge of Mark’s body and exactly how to get him off was honestly impressive. He let moans escape from his lips, “Fuck, daddy it feels so good.”

He could hear Jinyoung’s reaction but he wanted to see it too, so he brought his phone back up to his face. His boyfriend smiled with clouded eyes as he said, “You looked so fucked out baby boy, I wish I could touch you.”

“I miss your big hands, daddy. They always feel so good,” Mark moaned, feeling himself get closer by the second. He saw Jinyoung bit his lip and he asked, “Are you close too?”

“So close,” Jinyoung breathed out.

Mark’s eyes lit up, “Can I watch you cum?”

“Of course, baby boy.” Mark smiled happily. Even over phone sex, Jinyoung was generous. 

He was so excited as Jinyoung switched the camera from front facing. He had never actually seen his boyfriend cum, it had always either been inside him or in his mouth. The screen changed to be facing down Jinyoung’s body, showing his hand on his cock, pumping it up and down. Mark moaned at how thick it looked in his boyfriend’s hand. “Shit I want you in me so bad, daddy. Your cock is so fucking big, I want it inside me daddy, please.”

He could hear Jinyoung’s breathing get heavier so he continued, “I want you to fuck me so hard I can’t walk. I want your cum so bad.”

He voice was whining and wanton as he alternated between begging and moaning. 

“You want it in you, baby?” Jinyoung asked hoarsely as his hand picked up speed. 

And Mark nodded, biting on his lip. He could feel his orgasm bubbling up as he moaned through his lips. “I want it so bad daddy, I want you to fill me up so good that it drips down my thighs.”

He watched his screen closely as he heard his boyfriend moan, “Shit baby fuck.”

Mark saw ribbons of white and his bottom lip trembled at the sight, “Daddy oh my god fuck yes.” 

It was so much that Mark licked his lips unconsciously. He thought about how good that would taste on his tongue, all heavy and warm. And it pushed him over the edge, “Shitshitshit.”

Little spurts of cum were dribbling out as he continued to stroke himself, milking it to the last drop. It felt so good to cum with Jinyoung, even if his boyfriend wasn’t physically there with him. 

He laid back on his side after he grabbed tissues and wiped his hands clean. He felt calm and hazy after finishing.

“Holy shit, babe,” Jinyoung breathed. 

Mark smiled, blinking back sleep, “Better than a shower?”

“Maybe,” Jinyoung teased, Mark could see his affectionate smile now.

He wished he could fall asleep to it. “So it was worth it?”

“You’re always worth it, baby,” Jinyoung replied and Mark grinned softly.

“I thought I was the sappy one after sex,” Mark yawned.

“I guess the tables have turned today, love,” Jinyoung said.

Mark laughed as he cozied up to his pillow.

“Are you going to bed, baby?” Mark nodded. “Okay, sweet dreams. Text me when you wake up?”

“M’kay,” Mark mumbled. “Goodnight, I love you.”

The last thing he heard was, “I love you more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im pretty sure i said there wouldnt be much daddy kink in this fic but...   
> how else are you supposed to have phone sex like???????? so shout out to my twitter wife, are you even still alive?? and bry and janelle, love you two sinners. you guys and lindsay are what keep me going ♡♡♡


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!! this is the chapter I've been thinking about since I started writing this story. I know it might not be like whoaaa~ to you guys but I was really excited to write it anyways lol it became wayyyyy longer than expected and im just glad that I split it haha 
> 
> **this is a spoiler** but I took such a long time picking out the perfect song for this story and I honestly think that [ this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bPEnio7tuw) is p e r f e c t. don't listen to it until you've read to it's part or else it'll be a spoiler I guess lol. also fun fact im seeing this band (paramore) for the 4th time this summer hahahaha

After their last show before Paris, Jackson and Mark sat in their hotel room together. Mark was too jacked up on excitement that he was going to see Jinyoung in less than 24 hours and Jackson was too awake after the show to fall asleep.

“I think I might love Jaebum,” Jackson said, rolling over to his side. 

They were laying in their separate beds next to each other, Mark all wrapped up in his covers. 

“Yeah?” Mark said as he moved to face his best friend. In reality, they all knew that Jackson was in love. Surprisingly, Mark had never actually seen Jackson in love before. Usually he only dated casually and then left whenever Jackson felt that the other person was getting too attached. It was always weird to Mark because Jackson loved other people’s relationships so much.

“Yeah,” Jackson said, his eyes were unfocused as if he was remembering something. His hands slipped out from under the covers as he said, “Like I just see his face my heart does the thing, you know?”

“I know,” Mark smiled. Even though Jackson’s description was mostly reliant on his hand motions, Mark knew the exact feeling that was being referred to. “Mine does that too with Jinyoung.”

“Fuck,” Jackson sighed. “You guys are so in love, like so in love. And you just let it happen.”

“I wanted to be in love with Jinyoung,” Mark said with confusion. What did Jackson mean by that? He cautiously asked, “Do you not want to be in love with Jaebum?”

He watched with worried eyes as Jackson looked down, “I don’t know. I see how attached you are to Jinyoung and how his simple words or actions completely affect you and I just can’t help but think how terrifying that is.”

“But it’s not scary if you trust him,” Mark pointed out. He didn’t think it was scary at all. Mark didn’t think there was anything wrong with his and Jinyoung’s relationship, so it was weird to him that what Mark saw as a positive, Jackson saw as a negative. “I let myself fall deeper and deeper in love with Jinyoung because I know he would never intentionally hurt me.”

“You say that and yet I was the one who found you crying on the floor,” Jackson replied with a flat tone, his expression very pointed.

But it didn’t affect him. Mark shrugged, “That was my fault. He didn’t know. And anyways, I would gladly get to the point of tears over how much I miss him than to never be in love in the first place.”

“That sounds too irrational, I don’t want to lose myself to a relationship,” Jackson said, putting an arm under his head. “I might...love... Jaebum,” He paused as if the words were hard to say. “But I never want to get to the point where his wants are more important than my own.”

“That’ll change,” Mark said with a smile.

“See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You and Jinyoung would gladly walk through a burning building for each other. But that’s not logical at all,” Jackson complained. 

“Having someone who would do anything for you is a comfort, not something to be upset over,” Mark said with a frown.

Jackson sighed and explained, “When Jaebum dropped me off at the apartment before we left for tour, I could have sworn he was going to say it so I ran out of the car and said thanks for driving me home.”

Mark watched his best friend furrow his eyebrows and pick at the hem of the sheets. Maybe this is why Jackson was such a romantic for everyone else’s relationships. He was living vicariously through others because he was too scared to fall in love himself. “So you think he loves you?” 

Jackson nodded, “Sometimes I wake up with my head on his chest and I catch him staring at me with these gooey, in love eyes. I think he knows I’m scared and that’s why he hasn’t said it yet.”

Even though Jackson was making fun of Jaebum, the look in his eyes when Jackson was talking about his boyfriend told another story. Mark could see the love in them. And it wasn’t the first time he saw this. But Mark had been waiting for Jackson to bring it up to him on his own. 

“If he said it, would you say it back?” Mark asked, curling his sheets around him.

“I don’t know,” Jackson said and Mark could tell he was being truthful.

“Is that why you didn’t ask him to come on tour? He’s not filming for anything right now, right?” Jackson shook his head no.

“I was too worried it would make our relationship seem too serious,” Jackson confessed.

Mark frowned, “But you’ve been boyfriends for a while now, doesn’t that seem like it’s serious to you?”

And Jackson sighed, “I know it doesn’t make sense to you because you fell for Jinyoung in like 2 seconds but being committed to one person long term is something I never wanted.”

“But he makes you want it?” Mark said. Maybe it was because Mark fell in love and that was why he was such a romantic these days. He wanted Jackson to be proudly in love with Jaebum. He wanted for them what he and Jinyoung had. 

Hesitantly, Jackson nodded. 

Mark grinned. “Then tell him you love him. But tell him that you’re scared too, talk it out with him. If Jaebum loves you like you say, he’ll want to hear you out.”

“You think?” Jackson said, his voice quiet.

“Mhm,” Mark said. “If you keep this all to yourself, it won’t go well. I learned that recently.”

Jackson smiled, “Yeah, how did that go by the way? Sorry for turning off your alarms, I don’t know if I ever apologized for that.”

“No, thank you actually,” Mark said. “If you didn’t do that for me, I would be scared shitless about my relationship. But everything is perfect now that I got to see him and saw how nothing changed.”

“I told you,” Jackson rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah,” Mark sighed. “Either way, I found out that he took time off to go on tour with us in the spring.”

“Really? I know you said he was coming tomorrow, but really? Like the whole tour?” Jackson asked, looking as surprised as Mark had been when he first heard the news.

Mark grinned and nodded, “He’s still filming for the first week but other than that, he’ll be with us.”

“I’m so happy for you,” Jackson said. His smile was soft and sincere. 

“But that’s not even the best part,” Mark said, barely able to stop himself from spoiling the news early.

Jackson raised an eyebrow and Mark grinned with bright eyes, “We’re moving in together.”

“Are you serious?” His best friend’s face said everything. “How have you kept that to yourself this whole tour?”

Mark smiled to himself, “I don’t know. So many things were going on, there just never seemed like a good time to tell everyone.”

“So are you moving out when we get home?” Mark nodded.

“He’s free for a few days when we get back so he’s going to help me move my stuff over, not that most of it isn’t already over there as is,” Mark laughed and Jackson grinned with him.

“That’s cool because I’ve always wondered what his place looks like,” Jackson joked. “And you know you’re going to have to buy all new games, right? We’re not going to let you steal those.”

“Whatever,” Mark said, playfully rolling his eyes. “You can come over whenever you want, Jinyoung isn’t there much during the day so I’ll get lonely.”

“It’s kind of weird because you, me, Jinyoung and Jaebum haven’t actually hung out all together yet,” Jackson said.

“I’ll have to organize something once I’m all moved in,” Mark yawned, moving his pillow to get more comfortable.

He fell asleep easily that night knowing that he would be in Jinyoung’s arms soon. 

 

Jinyoung’s flight was supposed to land an hour before the concert started. It wasn’t ideal but at least Jinyoung was going to be there. Since it was the last day of tour, everyone was exhausted. But not Mark. He was bouncing off the walls in anticipation. Mark couldn’t sit still for even a second.

Which annoyed his bandmates and caused them to isolate Mark, not that Mark cared too much. He was just excited. They all usually got sick of each other after tour anyways, so it wasn’t too big of a deal when they all sat on the other side of room from him

Jinyoung only texted him in the morning before his flight so Mark had spent the second half of the day trying to entertain himself. And that got boring real fast so Mark ended up napping for a couple hours before the show. 

When he woke up, Mark expected to find texts from Jinyoung saying he just landed. But there were none. Mark frowned at his phone and checked the time that Jinyoung said his plane landed, it was 20 minutes ago. He shrugged and thought that maybe Jinyoung just hadn’t texted him yet. 

But then he was in the dressing room for the show and Mark could hear the fans in the arena. He could hear them chattering which meant that it was time for him to go on any minute now. At this point, Mark was checking his phone constantly. He would move from social media app to social media app and then check his notifications to see if he had a message, then when he saw none he would go into his messenger and refresh it over and over again.

His friends were noticing him getting more and more anxious by the second. Yugyeom kept looking over at him with worried eyes and Jackson tried taking Mark’s mind off of Jinyoung’s whereabouts but Mark wasn’t having it.

They all knew that Jinyoung should have been there a half an hour ago, but he wasn’t. 

Mark didn’t want his mind to get to this point but he started to think about if Jinyoung never even got on the plane. If something came up and Jinyoung couldn’t come. But Jinyoung would have told Mark, wouldn’t he?

In his head, Mark kept rattling this idea around. On one hand he trusted Jinyoung and he didn’t want to think too much into it. Maybe there was traffic. Maybe Jinyoung’s phone died. On the other hand, what if Jinyoung just didn’t want to disappoint Mark and so he waited until the last second to cancel? So much of Mark said that was bullshit and that Jinyoung would never do that. But still, a tiny part of him kept worrying that maybe Jinyoung wasn’t even in the country.

 

Then the time came and Mark had to leave the dressing room to go on stage. In his desperate mind, Mark hoped that this was another trick that everyone was in on. That Jinyoung was going to be standing side stage waiting with Mark’s bass and it was going to be like a ‘haha we got you!’ moment. 

But as Mark rounded the corner, he saw no Jinyoung. Only a dark corridor full of equipment and gear next to the dim stage, waiting for their appearance. He could hear the fans chanting their name over and over again but Mark just wanted to run the other direction. He checked his phone one last time before handing it over to Zack who gave him a sympathetic look.

Someone gave him his bass and with his head down, Mark walked out on stage with the others. He didn’t want to be there. He felt so much disappointment wash over him and fill him up. Mark switched over to cruise control and let his muscle memory take over. 

He smiled when he was supposed to, his fingers strummed at the right rhythm, he looked out into the crowd an acceptable amount, but he kept to his side of the stage. Mark didn’t run up Jackson’s drum kit and playfully bash on the cymbals. He didn’t jump onto the speakers. He didn’t try to mess with Bambam. Nor did he sing into Yugyeom’s mic. Mark did the bare minimum.

When he looked out into the crowd, Mark saw the confusion on some of the fan’s faces. Some were in ignorant bliss. Maybe it was their first Ruby Atlas show, maybe they just weren’t observant. But some fans, the ones that sang every word and some he even recognized, knew something was up. He saw their worried eyes and concerned frowns but only smiled half heartedly and looked away.

Mark felt disappointed. Not only that Jinyoung wasn’t there but that he was playing like shit. The longer the concert went on, the more notes he missed. The more back up vocals he forgot to lean in for. So now not only was his energy and stage presence shit but he couldn’t even fall back on to the fact that at least he played well. 

This was no longer the bare minimum. Even Bambam was looking over at him with quick looks, trying to catch Mark’s eye. But Mark knew he was just going to get glared at and told to fix his shit so Mark kept his eyes guarded. 

It wasn’t until Bambam came over to him towards the end of the song that Mark finally looked at him. But Bambam wasn’t looking annoyed or upset at all. In fact, he was smiling. 

Mark furrowed his brows in confusion. He thought for sure that Bambam was about to give him a long look that telepathically told him to pull himself together or else. But instead Bambam’s eyes were darting towards side stage. This confused Mark even more until he realized that he was supposed to follow Bambam’s eyes.

The last note of the song was played and Mark decided to humor Bambam and look over. And that was when Mark saw him.

Jinyoung looked apologetic and worried but Mark never felt happier. He pulled the strap of his bass off his shoulder and dropped his beloved instrument on the floor of the stage. He ran off stage and jumped into Jinyoung’s arms.

Thankfully, Jinyoung caught him and lifted him up. Mark’s legs instinctually wrapped themselves around his boyfriend’s hips and then his lips were crashing into Jinyoung’s. At that moment, right then and there, Mark didn’t give a shit about how he was supposed to be playing a show. He didn’t care that he literally dropped everything and ran. He didn’t care if his friends were impatiently waiting on stage. He didn’t even care if fans could see him.

He just didn’t care. 

Mark felt Jinyoung swivel around so that Jinyoung’s back was to the crowd, which in hindsight Mark was thankful for. But all he cared about was that Jinyoung was here. Jinyoung was here and kissing him back. Everything about that felt so right. The consequences didn’t matter to him. 

Eventually, when Mark came up for air he saw over Jinyoung’s shoulder how his band was waiting for him. Yugyeom had a huge smile on his face and Bambam was smirking. Jackson, surprisingly, was looking at him in confusion. 

Mark looked back down at Jinyoung who looked rather amused with eyebrows raised and everything, and said breathlessly, “I love you.”

Bambam played a riff as if he was questioning if Mark was going to return.

“I love you more, but shouldn’t you be on stage?” Jinyoung said playfully but Mark could hear the confusion in his voice.

Mark’s eyes darted from Jinyoung to the stage and then he nodded and Jinyoung lowered him down to the ground. Mark got up on his tippy toes to kiss Jinyoung chastely before running back on stage. He picked up his bass and swung it around his shoulder and went to the mic, “Fuck, sorry about that guys.”

He heard the fans laughing and Mark knew he was wearing the biggest smile. “I feel like I’m on fucking cloud nine right now.” 

Mark laughed his signature laugh, the one that only came out when he was really happy and the audience laughed with him. 

“So in celebration of something really fucking great just happening, how about we play a new song? Sound good?”

The crowd cheered and he could see the worried fans from before confused, but smiling. That was good. He felt better about that at least. He looked over to his bandmates and saw Bambam rolling his eyes and the other two grinning. 

Yugyeom leaned into the mic, “Which one?”

More cheers filled the arena at the prospects of new songs coming soon. And Mark winked and then looked over to Jinyoung, who was leaning against a beam with his arms crossed and a smile, and said, “I think you know the one.”

He played a tiny riff and Yugyeom nodded and Bambam shook his head with a smirk as if he couldn’t believe this was happening.

Mark grinned, knowing that if they played this song and that fans liked it enough, they would have to make it a single. There was no doubt that thousands of fans had their finger hovering over ‘record’ ready to post the new song all over social media. Mark knew that this would get out and he welcomed it. He wanted this song to be the single so badly. 

Bambam played the opening notes and Yugyeom came in with the first verse.

It's really hard,   
I can't cry in your arms  
'Cause you're not here

Mark kept his eyes on Jinyoung, wanting to see his reaction to the song that Mark wrote about him. He saw Jinyoung frown and then look confused. Mark grinned and waited for the next line to see Jinyoung smile back at him. 

It's not your fault   
and if it was I wouldn't care  
My heart is bigger than the distance in-between us  
I know it ‘cause I feel it beating

And he did. Jinyoung beamed back at him and Mark couldn’t wipe the grin off his face even if he tried. He looked out to the audience as an attempt to not stare at Jinyoung too much and to not make it even more obvious that he was in love and the object of his affections was standing just off stage.

Over here  
You can count the miles away from where I wanna be  
I bet your skin is warm and that you're smiling  
Yeah, that's what I always loved the most about you

Mark felt pride coursing through his veins at how good the song sounded live. He became more and more confident that this was the right choice. This was going to be a crowd pleaser. This was going to be a song that fans sing along with their friends in the car as summer came to a close. 

Baby if I'm half the man I say I am  
If I'm a man with no fear just like I claim I am  
Then I’ll believe in what you say,   
there's nothing left for you to do  
The only proof that I need is you

Maybe he felt most proud because the song was so telling of exactly how he felt. There was no man behind the curtain, this was his love put on display for everyone to see. His heart was on his sleeve and Mark knew that everything was okay. 

So do you love me?  
All you gotta do is say yes  
Now do you love me?  
And I won't ever second guess

Mark looked over to Jinyoung with a big, lovestruck smile and mouthed the words to him. Although it was hard to see in the dim light of side stage, Mark was sure that Jinyoung was smiling back at him. 

Now do you love me?  
Then you already proved it

After the second repeat of the chorus, he moved onto a speaker at the edge of the stage and got the crowd to sing the words back to him. They picked up on it easily and the fans that Mark could see were smiling up at him. 

When the song ended, Mark was full of energy. They resumed with the normal setlist, only a few song were remaining but Mark ran around with newfound hype. He couldn’t stop smiling now that he knew that Jinyoung was here and watching him. Now that Jinyoung heard the song that Mark had written for him and about him. 

The second they finished their last song, Mark was running back into Jinyoung. But this time he just wanted to feel Jinyoung’s arms around him. He let his eyes close and just listened to Jinyoung’s heartbeat under his cheek. 

As Mark leaned back, Jinyoung asked, “Did you write that song?”

Mark nodded proudly, feeling the corners of his lips turn up as he stared into Jinyoung’s warm eyes.

“Is it about me?” Jinyoung asked, a smiling growing across his lips.

“It’s about us,” Mark confirmed. He felt like he was beaming from the inside out. “Did you like it?”

He looked up at Jinyoung with big eyes, partially hoping it would sway Jinyoung to say yes even if he didn’t. But also because Mark was eager to hear what Jinyoung thought.

“I loved it, baby,” Jinyoung replied and Mark’s smile pulled into a face splitting grin. His eyes even creased a little. 

Mark hugged his boyfriend tighter and pressed his face against Jinyoung’s neck. The same scent filled his nose and Mark sighed softly until he realized how sweaty and gross he was. His nose scrunched up and his cheeks warmed. Mark probably smelled horrible and yet here Jinyoung was, holding him close and acting like he didn’t notice.

“I’m sorry, I should probably go shower,” Mark said sheepishly and Jinyoung laughed and pulled him in for another hug. His arms were around Mark’s neck, holding him close. Mark let his head fall on Jinyoung’s shoulder and grinned to himself.

Eventually, Jinyoung let go and said, “Sorry, I just missed you so much.”

Mark had hearts in his eyes and a soft smile as he leaned in for a kiss and said, “Me too.”

 

As Jinyoung waited in the dressing room for Mark to come out, a freshly clean Jackson sat next to him. “So like, where were you?”

He knew exactly what Jackson was referring to, “My flight was delayed.”

Jackson raised an eyebrow, “Then why didn’t you text him?”

“I was already on the plane so I didn’t have reception. I texted him as soon as I landed but I think the show had already started,” Jinyoung explained. 

“Ah,” Jackson nodded slowly and crossed his legs. “You know, I thought Mark would be pissed.”

“At me?” Jinyoung questioned, a sense of worry creeping in. Mark didn’t seem upset, but what if he was? Jackson knew him better after all.

“Yeah, he was so anxious before the show. He checked his phone every 4 seconds and none of us could get his mind off the fact that you weren’t here. He seemed so disappointed, he played like shit,” Jackson said with a frown. 

Jinyoung felt guilty. He knew how worried Mark could get. Even though the circumstances weren’t his fault, he still felt bad. He remembered when Zack let him in how murderous of a stare he got. But once Jinyoung explained, Zack’s expression get less harsh. But he still felt Mark’s bodyguard’s stare through the back of his head as he waited at the side of the stage until Mark saw him. As soon as Mark came over and left, Jinyoung didn’t feel that stare anymore.

“But he wasn’t mad. Not even a little bit,” Jackson continued and Jinyoung was pulled into the present. “And I kind of realized that he loves you.”

Now Jinyoung was really confused, surely Jackson of all people knew that Mark loved Jinyoung? Was Mark’s best friend really that skeptical all this time? Jinyoung would have expected such a statement from Bambam, not Jackson. 

Jackson saw his face and laughed, “No, that’s not what I meant. Mark’s clearly loves you but I think I finally get it. He wasn’t upset because you being there at all was more important than you not being there on time. I used to think Mark was crazy for how much he trusts you, but now I kind of think it’s endearing. He let himself fall for you and you’ve never made him regret that.” 

“I sure hope not,” Jinyoung said, not really understanding where this was all coming from. 

 

“Babe, let’s go back to the hotel,” Jinyoung felt Mark’s arms around his and looked down at his boyfriend with a smile. 

Mark’s hair was still damp and Jinyoung couldn’t help but think how cute Mark was. He held Mark’s face between his hands and kissed his lips lightly. “Don’t you want to eat first, love? There are a few restaurants Alex told me about…”

But Mark shook his head, “Let’s eat in tonight.”

“And by that he means you should be eating him tonight,” Bambam said with a grin as he pulled a shirt over his head. 

Jinyoung smirked and raised an eyebrow at Mark, who only blushed in response. Jinyoung laughed at his boyfriend’s silent confirmation and dramatically said, “And here I thought we could have a romantic night in Paris but no, my boyfriend just wants to be fucked.”

Mark pushed at his chest with wide eyes, “Babe!”

“You don’t have to act all innocent, Mark. We get it, you’ve been deprived,” Bambam teased and Jinyoung smiled wider.

Mark’s eyes slid over to meet Bambam’s, “Yeah I have been deprived, unlike you.”

What was that supposed to mean? Bambam looked surprised, his cheeks even looked a little warm. 

Jinyoung knew that Jackson and Bambam had a thing going last tour but Jackson was with Jaebum, right? Or was Jinyoung a bad friend and didn’t know Jaebum’s relationship crumbled? He knew that Jaebum was really worried about his relationship in general, always saying that he was falling too fast and that Jackson never seemed to take their relationship seriously. But they didn’t break up, did they?

Bambam’s eyes narrowed and Jinyoung realized that Yugyeom had been silent through the whole conversation. He glanced over and saw Yugyeom buttoning his pants with a big smile on his face. Jinyoung’s eyes widened as it hit him.

“You’re not exactly quiet, Bam,” Mark said with airy smile as Bambam rolled his eyes and Yugyeom blushed. 

“Yeah well, neither are you,” Jinyoung teased and Mark’s eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe his boyfriend called him out like that.

He heard Yugyeom laugh and Jackson said, “Wow, I can’t wait to get exactly zero hours of sleep tonight.”

“At least you know what you’re in for,” Mark said with a smirk as he leaned his head on Jinyoung’s shoulder. “I’m planning to keep him up all night.”

And Jackson gagged, leaving Jinyoung to just shake his head. 

 

As soon as they were through the door of Mark’s hotel room, Mark was all over him. Jinyoung couldn’t even say he was surprised when Mark turned around and wrapped his arms around Jinyoung’s neck, getting rid of even an inch of space between them. The lips on his felt hungry and rushed, Mark wanted it and he wanted it now. 

Which really wasn’t that bad of an idea to Jinyoung as he pushed Mark up against the wall and his boyfriend messily placed his legs around Jinyoung’s hips. As Mark started pushing up Jinyoung’s shirt and eventually got it over his head, inbetween kisses he breathed, “I missed you so much.”

Jinyoung smiled into his boyfriend’s lips and tugged Mark’s shirt off, “I missed you too, baby.”

And then he started on Mark’s sweatpants, which proved to be rather easy. No belt or buttons needed, just stretchy elastic being pulled under his hips. But as Jinyoung pulled them farther down, he realized that there was nothing under them. His fingertips were brushing only soft skin, not cotton. He got Mark’s pants down to his thighs, looked down and laughed, “I think you forgot something.”

But Mark shook his head with a smirk, “No I just thought this would be easier.”

Jinyoung smiled and went to his boyfriend’s neck, kissing up the skin and adding teasing nips here and there. “Well it would explain why I could see your dick so clearly through your pants.”

He felt Mark’s hands roaming over his shoulders and back, as if he was trying to refresh his memory. One of his hands found its way into Jinyoung’s hair and Mark said, “Babe, were you checking me out?”

“I have a really gorgeous boyfriend, of course I’m going to check you out,” Jinyoung smirked, biting a little harder and feeling Mark rut up against him. He laughed softly, one hand on the back of Mark’s thigh and the other teasing his hole, “Someone’s impatient.”

“I’ve been waiting a month for your hands on me, I think I’m entitled to be impatient,” Mark moaned as Jinyoung’s finger circled around his entrance. 

“Entitled?” Jinyoung asked, smirking into Mark’s skin as he rubbed against his boyfriend’s hole. He felt Mark’s hands halt. 

The fingers in his hair stopped moving and then they started back up again, carding through the short hairs on the back of Jinyoung’s hair as Mark sighed and said, “Just fuck me already.”

Jinyoung’s lips stretched into a smile right after he kissed Mark’s neck softly. And then he lifted Mark off the wall and carried him to bed. Jinyoung glanced over and was happy to see that his luggage was next to Mark’s. He wasn’t sure if his stuff would actually make it to the hotel, nonetheless Mark’s room, but somehow it did. 

He set Mark down and leaned over him between Mark’s thighs. Jinyoung went in for a quick, but purposeful kiss. He didn’t leave anytime to lead up to parting lips, he slid his tongue in as soon as their lips brushed together. As he pulled back, Jinyoung’s hand went to one of Mark’s bare thighs and started pushing up his boyfriend’s sweatpants with his fingertips. “I want these off when I come back.”

Jinyoung waited to see Mark’s eyes widening before getting off the bed and rummaging through his suitcase. He heard Mark sigh and say, “Sometimes I wish I was a girl so you could just fuck me.”

Bringing everything he needed to the table next to the bed, Jinyoung got back between Mark’s legs and kissed his boyfriend’s forehead and nuzzled his nose. “I like you just how you are.”

“But isn’t it annoying to have to do this every time?” Mark asked as Jinyoung pushed a finger in gently. He saw Mark’s nose scrunch at the feeling and went slower. 

“No, I like doing this for you,” Jinyoung said, shaking his head. He brought a hand around to softly stroke Mark’s thigh. His boyfriend seemed to be in awe. “Making you squirm and beg from just the flick of my fingers is highly rewarding.”

Mark’s face fell flat and he frowned, “You’re so cruel.”

Jinyoung couldn’t help but smile, “But really, I don’t mind. Making you happy makes me happy.”

His boyfriend’s face glowed and Jinyoung smiled back at him. And then he stretched Mark further, watching Mark’s face for indicators of when to hurry up and when to take his time. Although Mark fingered himself, it didn’t feel like it was anywhere near as often as they usually had sex. Mark seemed to be a lot more sensitive now and Jinyoung wanted to be cautious of that. He didn’t want his boyfriend limping the next day.

And eventually he had a flushed, writhing Mark at his fingertips. Mark’s moans were breathy and whiny at the same time. Jinyoung knew he was ready when Mark sought out Jinyoung’s hand on his thigh. Mark wiggled his fingers inbetween Jinyoung and pulled on them in attempt to get Jinyoung closer. 

“Please,” Was the only sound out of Mark’s mouth.

Jinyoung leaned over him and positioned himself between his boyfriend’s thighs, “Like this?”

Mark nodded and reached out, letting go of Jinyoung’s hand in lieu of Jinyoung’s neck. He pulled Jinyoung down to kiss him and at the same time Jinyoung pushed in. His hand squeezed Mark’s thigh at the feeling he had long since missed. But it wasn’t just the feeling of being inside Mark, it was the closeness they had. The familiarity and trust they shared. 

It was like they hadn’t just spent a month away from each other. Together they fit like puzzle pieces. Mark’s hand in his hair and fingertips on his back felt just like it always did. Everything felt the same, except Mark was a little tighter and a lot more eager than usual. 

But once Jinyoung found a pace that seemed to satisfy both of them, he felt his heartbeat meld with Mark’s. He no longer felt Mark’s erratically beating out of his chest but instead beating steadily with Jinyoung’s. 

And then Jinyoung felt the lips brushing against his start to get sloppier and sloppier as Mark’s moans into his mouth got louder. Jinyoung smiled into Mark’s lips, giving Mark one last deep kiss before trailing his lips down from Mark’s. He kissed the corner of Mark’s lips and chin and then started to descend kisses down Mark’s jaw until Jinyoung got to his neck. His kisses went from simple presses of his lips to wet, open mouthed ones. 

When Jinyoung thought Mark’s moans were starting to sound the same, he teased his boyfriend’s neck with his teeth. The more skin he brought between his lips, the louder Mark got and the wider Jinyoung’s grin became. It felt like it had been forever since Jinyoung had seen his boyfriend and now he couldn’t stop marking him. 

The next day Mark’s neck was going to be covered in purple and red and yet Mark wasn’t stopping him at all. Instead, Mark was holding Jinyoung’s head and tangling his slim fingers in his hair, keeping him there. 

Jinyoung had just slammed into Mark when his boyfriend whined, “Shit, harder.”

He grinned, moved his hand down and lifted Mark’s hips up to get an better angle. When he thrusted again, Mark’s moan was so loud that Jinyoung was sure it woke up whoever was staying in the room next door. 

“Harder than that, baby?” Jinyoung whispered under his ear, kissing his neck softly. 

“Please.”

Jinyoung was a little surprised, he honestly thought that Mark was going to say something like, “Just like that.” But instead he actually wanted more. No matter, Jinyoung thought as he leaned back a little and lifted Mark’s legs over his shoulder. He saw the lust flash in Mark’s eyes and then the way that his boyfriend’s lips parted in anticipation. 

When Jinyoung pushed back in, he made sure to angle himself just right. And Jinyoung had never heard Mark moan louder. But instead of resuming with the previous rhythm they had going, Jinyoung just kept slamming into Mark. He had one hand on Mark’s hip, lifting him up and the other under the arch of Mark’s back. 

He watched as his boyfriend’s hands went to find something to grab onto, to steady himself as Jinyoung’s thrusts were moving his whole body. One of his hands went above him, to the headboard, gripping it. 

The other found Jinyoung’s forearm and Jinyoung happily supplied his hand to hold on to. But Mark wasn’t just holding it. As Jinyoung continued this fast and hard pace, Mark’s fingers started squeezing Jinyoung’s hand. His nails were digging into the back of Jinyoung’s hand. 

“Shit, fuck. Right there, right there,” Mark moaned out breathlessly, his eyes forced shut.

Jinyoung wondered if he should help Mark out with the hand not currently being crushed but he thought against it. He wanted this to a last a little longer. 

He didn’t realize how far gone Mark moans sounded. His boyfriend was practically whimpering as he moaned a mantra of “shit” over and over again. Usually Mark only sounded like that when he was about to--- “Fuck!”

And that was when saw Mark’s eyes roll back and felt Mark squeeze around him so hard that Jinyoung’s jaw dropped and his eyes closed shut. He felt himself hit the edge and couldn’t stop himself from cumming. His hand gripped Mark’s hip so hard that he was sure his fingerprints would leave bruises on his boyfriend’s pale skin. 

Jinyoung felt bad for a second before opening his eyes and seeing the milky white stripes across Mark’s stomach. He felt Mark’s hand let go of him. Jinyoung’s eyes widened as he fucked his boyfriend through the aftershocks. 

He glanced up to Mark’s face and saw his boyfriend’s cloudy eyes. Mark’s face was already flushed and his mouth hung open as he tried to get his breathing back to normal. 

“Did I just…?” Mark asked, his eyelashes fluttering.

“Yeah,” Jinyoung replied between breaths, he couldn’t believe it either.

“That’s never happened before, I didn’t know I could,” Mark said, looking flustered.

Jinyoung let himself fall next to Mark, pulling him into his arms and kissing Mark’s cheek. “Well now that I know you can cum untouched, I’m definitely making you do that again.”

“Please, it was so intense,” Mark grinned, snuggling closer to his boyfriend and closing his eyes.

“Are you tired already? I thought you were going to keep me up all night,” Jinyoung joked as he rubbed Mark’s back gently. 

“I’ve never came so hard, okay? Leave me alone,” Mark smiled into his boyfriend’s chest and Jinyoung couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Alright baby,” Jinyoung kissed his hair. He felt Mark’s arm around his waist tighten and Jinyoung said, “Wake me up if you want to go again.”

And Mark pushed at his chest in retaliation, “You’re so mean to me.”

“I bet you missed it,” Jinyoung said, holding Mark closer to him. 

Barely above a whisper, he heard Mark reply, “I did.”

 

When Jinyoung heard a knock on their door, he had a lap full of Mark. A naked and asleep, but very cute Mark. He had been sitting up in their hotel room bed when Mark came out of the bathroom after a shower and instead of going to a suitcase to put on clothes, Jinyoung’s presumably, he came over to the bed. Mark weaseled his way under the script that Jinyoung had been holding and straddled Jinyoung. 

At first, Jinyoung was surprised that Mark was already wanting to go again but then Mark silently made a spot for himself on Jinyoung’s chest. He wrapped his arms around Jinyoung’s torso and nuzzled his face into his boyfriend’s neck, his eyelids pressed against Jinyoung’s skin. And that was that. 

It seemed like Mark no ulterior motives, so Jinyoung simply slung an arm across Mark’s bare back, holding his script back up to read over. His other hand played with Mark’s soft blonde hair, his wrist resting on Mark’s shoulder. He could feel Mark’s lips turn up into a smile and Jinyoung smiled when he felt them press into his skin as a gentle kiss. 

And they stayed like that for an hour, Mark napping on him while Jinyoung used the down time to prepare for when he went back to set to film again. Jinyoung heard the knock again and while he didn’t want to wake his boyfriend, he thought he should probably respond. So he told the knocker to come in, barely louder than his normal voice as Jinyoung hoped Mark wouldn’t be bothered. 

He heard the door open and Jackson came around the corner to see Mark in Jinyoung’s arms. While Jinyoung had pulled the sheets over Mark’s hips to keep him warm, Mark’s whole back was exposed and it was fairly obvious that Mark wasn’t wearing anything. 

Jackson’s eyes widened and he said, “Shit, sorry.”

But before Jackson had turned fully around to leave, Jinyoung said, “He’s asleep, don’t worry.”

Jinyoung watched Jackson survey the situation with a closer eye and the tension from Jackson’s face vanished. And then his eyes lit up, “Wait you’re not...I mean he didn’t-- again?”

Furrowing his eyes as he put the missing pieces of the sentence together, Jinyoung then laughed softly, “No, no. It’s not like that this time. He took a shower and then came over to me to nap on.” Jackson tilted his head, still looking confused. 

“He likes how warm I am, and I think he just likes to be close to me,” Jinyoung tried to explain their position further, glancing down at his boyfriend with a tender expression. He felt Mark smile into his neck and tighten his arms. Mark must have woken up sometime after Jackson came into the room. Jackson smiled, seeming to have gotten it. 

“The guys and I were going to go to the Eiffel tower since we’ve never been and were wondering if you two wanted to come,” Jackson said. “But if you’re busy…”

Jinyoung looked down at Mark again and said, “What do you think, baby?”

His boyfriend grinned and murmured, “We should go.”

Kissing his hair, Jinyoung said, “Okay, then we’ll go.”

“After all, I greedily deprived you of a romantic parisian outing,” Mark smirked and Jinyoung grinned, his eyes twinkling with amusement. 

“Alright, I’ll see you guys down at the lobby in 20?” Jackson said, inching his way out of the room.

Jinyoung nodded at him and Jackson headed towards the door. Once the door clicked closed behind him, Mark moved back and laid his arms on Jinyoung’s shoulders. “Can we spend 15 of that making out and 5 getting ready?”

“How about 10 minutes making out and 10 getting ready?” Jinyoung countered. His boyfriend frowned and Jinyoung laughed, “Baby, you and I both know that you’ll take an extra 5 minutes anyways.”

Mark’s lips stretched into a smile as he leaned in, his warm breath over Jinyoung’s lips as he said, “You know me so well.”

 

They were walking out of the metro station and onto the streets of Paris. It felt nice to just take public transportation and to be normal citizens for once. Jinyoung felt like he was always sitting in cars. The band seemed to really like it too, and Jinyoung understood. They spent most of their days indoors and being driven around in vans. 

He went to grab for Mark’s hand but the blonde jumped at the touch and pulled his hand away. Jinyoung felt the corners of his lips turn down into a frown, “Babe, what’s wrong?”

Mark’s shoulders lifted just slightly as if he was trying to create a barrier around himself subconsciously. 

“We’re in public,” Jinyoung heard him say quietly.

“So?” Jinyoung asked. They were all wearing sunglasses and half of them wore hats that covered their faces. He didn’t see the problem. Mark was usually fine with affection outdoors. 

“So, I kind of made it really obvious that I was in love last night and if someone recognizes us at the biggest landmark in the city, I’m screwed,” Mark said, putting emphasis on his words. Even though Mark was wearing sunglasses, Jinyoung could see that Mark’s eyes were angled down.

“No one will, babe. It’s fine, come on,” Jinyoung tried, reaching for Mark’s hand again. He was denied and Mark shifted to put more distance between them.

“Jinyoung, this is my job. Even though it’s fine for you, it’s not fine for me,” Mark replied. His voice more serious than Jinyoung had heard in a while. 

“Okay,” Jinyoung said. He forgot to take a step and consequently was left walking behind Mark. He didn’t try to catch up. Jinyoung saw Yugyeom glance over but didn’t say anything.

The fact that Mark referred to him with his name meant that Mark meant what he said and it made Jinyoung feel unsettled. Mark had never stopped him from being affectionate. Usually the blonde welcomed it. 

So he made sure to keep his distance from Mark the whole walk there. Jackson and him ended up talking about crepes and Jinyoung pretended to not watch Mark talk to Bambam. He never had Mark within his sights without being able to touch him. He found it difficult to stop his feet from bringing him to Mark’s side. But Jackson’s animated chatter was a nice distraction at least.

When they got in the elevator to go up the famous tower, Jinyoung didn’t stand next to Mark. Instead he stood in front of him with Jackson while the rest of the group and Zack piled in. Luckily, the had enough people in their group that they were let into the elevator alone. He felt cold fingers latch onto his and a chin on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Mark whispered. Jinyoung intertwined Mark’s fingers with his and rubbed at the back of Mark’s hand. He felt a kiss being pressed into his neck and smiled to himself. 

He had been facing the front where the doors were but turned around to the window side once the elevator started moving. Mark was looking at him with apologetic eyes and Jinyoung smiled to let him know he wasn’t mad. His boyfriend smiled back and put his hands on Jinyoung’s chest to lift himself up enough to kiss Jinyoung quickly.

Even the shortest amount of Mark’s lips on his had Jinyoung’s heart skipping a beat. Mark promptly turned around but Jinyoung could see his smile through the glass and wrapped his arms around Mark’s waist. He smiled when Mark leaned into him and Jinyoung rested his head against Mark’s for the remainder of the long elevator ride up to the top. 

The band did end up getting recognized almost as soon as they stepped out onto the platform so Jinyoung was quick to walk the other direction and to pretend to not know them. He waited until all the fans left to come back around. Jinyoung stood next to Mark by the railing and his boyfriend leaned his head on his shoulder. 

Down a little further, Jinyoung saw Bambam and Yugyeom standing closer than usual. “So what’s going on with those two anyways?”

Mark turned his head to see what Jinyoung was looking at and smiled, “Yugyeom has liked Bam for years but never had the guts to tell him. I heard them having sex the other night and judging by their reactions last night, it wasn’t a one time thing. I haven’t asked Bambam, but Yugyeom looks happy.”

“Do you think Bambam likes him back?” Jinyoung asked, looking out across the city.

Mark sighed and looped his arm with Jinyoung, “Who knows, honestly. Bambam got his heart broken when we first got our big break and he hasn’t really been the same since. But I hope they end up together because I know Yugyeom will treat him right.”

Jinyoung nodded and then remembered some of the things that Jaebum had said, “Do you know why Jackson has been so distant to Jaebum lately? Jaebum has been kind of freaking out.”

His boyfriend pursed his lips and then said, “Jackson has never been in love before. He actively made sure of it, but Jaebum… I think Jaebum has made Jackson change his ways and that scares him, a lot.”

“So you think Jackson fell for him?” Jinyoung asked. Happy to hear that Mark’s insider information sounded positive at least. He didn’t want Jaebum to get his heart torn into pieces. When Jinyoung told Jaebum that the two were mutually interested in each other, Jaebum went into the relationship head first. But Jackson was and by the sounds of it, still is cautious of it. 

“I know Jackson did,” Mark said, sounding sure of himself. “He told me so and I think I convinced him to tell Jaebum.”

Jinyoung smiled warmly, “Really?”

He had started to get worried for Jaebum. He liked Jackson a lot. He was clearly a good friend to Mark and made an amazing pair with Jaebum, but Jinyoung was hesitant about Jackson being a good boyfriend. 

“Mhm,” Mark hummed, snuggling closer to Jinyoung as a breeze came through. Although it was perfectly warm down on the streets, it was a little cold so high up. 

“I thought you didn’t want to be affectionate in public,” Jinyoung commented, his voice a little flat.

“But it’s cold and you’re so warm,” Mark insisted and Jinyoung raised an eyebrow. “And as long as we face the city, no one will know who we are.”

Jinyoung smiled and brought an arm around Mark’s shoulders. His boyfriend responded immediately by hugging Jinyoung’s waist. Without a thought, Jinyoung kissed his hair. Which gained him a mumble of, “No kissing.”

“But we’re in the city of love,” Jinyoung said back with a smile. He could hold off on kisses, he didn’t want to, but Jinyoung knew he could.

“We’re already in love, we don’t need to prove it,” Mark rebutted.

“All I need to do is say yes, right?” Jinyoung grinned as he referenced Mark’s lyrics.

He glanced down and saw Mark’s blush, which made him laugh. Jinyoung moved his arm from around Mark’s shoulder to around Mark’s neck. He was so close to kissing his boyfriend’s hair again but sighed instead. “I don’t like this no kissing rule.”

Mark grumbled, “Fine, one kiss.”

“One kiss or one real kiss?” Jinyoung countered, his eyebrow raised.

He watched as his boyfriend thought for a second, looking absolutely adorable as he chewed his bottom lip. After some hesitation, Mark said, “A real kiss? We’re at the top of the Eiffel tower, so it’s tradition right?”

“Right,” Jinyoung said as retracted his arm from around Mark’s shoulders and faced him. He cupped the side of Mark’s face and thought just how lucky he was to be with someone so handsome. He gently touched his boyfriend’s bottom lip and said, “You’re beautiful, you know that?”

Mark’s smile bloomed across his lips as he said, “Shut up and kiss me.”

“With pleasure,” Jinyoung whispered as he leaned in, connecting their lips together. 

Although he swiped his tongue along Mark’s bottom lip, Jinyoung didn’t let the kiss turn into anything too crazy. Just simple and sweet. 

They had only been kissing for a few seconds when Jinyoung heard the click of a camera. He pulled away immediately and Mark jumped back. When they turned to look at who caught them, they found Jackson with a polaroid camera and an amused smile.

“Jackson, you asshole!” Mark said, his face red.

The best friend in question shrugged as if he didn’t know exactly why Mark had been scared. “What? I thought you guys would want a souvenir!”

He took the piece of film that popped out and handed it to Jinyoung, who was caught between laughing and wanting to calm Mark down. Mark groaned and buried his face into Jinyoung’s chest. Jinyoung heard his boyfriend mumble, “I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes, I hate this.”

Jinyoung hugged his boyfriend for a second before pulling away. He hated this too. “I know.”

He looked down at the polaroid and smiled. It was cute. Even though they were only a couple inches apart in height, Mark always managed to look so small in Jinyoung’s arms and Jinyoung loved it. 

“Look, baby,” Jinyoung said, nudging Mark’s side. 

His boyfriend glanced over and took the polaroid from him. Jinyoung watched him smile and then say, “We look good together.”

“We always look good together, love,” Jinyoung said back simply.

“And you can’t even see the massive hickeys you gave him either,” Jackson commented and Jinyoung had never seen Mark’s head swivel so fast. 

The blonde hit Jackson’s shoulder with pink tinted cheeks and red ears. 

“They aren’t massive,” Mark countered.

“No they’re pretty fucking big,” Bambam said as he walked over. Jinyoung only grinned and licked his lower lip. He was pretty satisfied with himself over the work of art he left on Mark’s body.

Yugyeom slung an arm around Bambam’s shoulders and Jinyoung could hear him whisper, “Jealous?”

Bambam nudged him away with his elbow and Yugyeom smirked. Jinyoung caught his eye and winked.

 

As the day went on, the group split up. Bambam had somehow convinced the others to go tour the catacombs under the city. Jinyoung thought that Yugyeom only went because he had a thing for Bambam and Jackson went because they teased him enough about being too scared. Jinyoung thought Mark would want to go, but he was happy that Mark wanted lunch instead. 

As they sat outside at a cafe, one of the ones that Alex told Jinyoung about, Mark said, “You know, if we had more time I think I’d want to go to Versaille. I’ve never been.”

“You haven’t?” Jinyoung questioned. Pouring water for both of them. 

Mark shook his head, a frown pulling at his lips, “We’ve never had the time. This is the first tour we’ve had an off day in Paris and it’s not even a full day. We’re flying home in a few hours.”

“We’ll go next time,” Jinyoung promised. He touched Mark’s hand for a millisecond before pulling back and pretending he was grabbing for the menu. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mark smiling at him. It was one of those smiles that filled Jinyoung’s whole heart.

“You don’t even know when we’re coming back here,” Mark pointed out.

Jinyoung shrugged, “How far off could it be? One year? Two?”

“Probably more like two,” Mark confirmed and Jinyoung smiled. “Then we’ll go to Versaille in two years.”

“How can you be so sure?” Mark asked, looking up from behind his menu. 

“Because every part of my future includes you,” Jinyoung said as if he was commenting on the weather, so simply and matter of fact.

When he looked up, he could only see Mark’s creased eyes. Jinyoung was sure his boyfriend was trying to hide his pink cheeks behind the menu. “You’re so cheesy.”

“And yet you love me.”

“Somehow,” Mark said, putting down his menu and taking a sip of his water. 

 

After their food came, Mark went to the bathroom and left Jinyoung all alone. He was leaning back in his chair, looking over the texts Alex sent him about upcoming schedules. It had been no more than five minutes before a couple of girls came up to him. They were probably studying abroad because their accents screamed American. “Um, I’m sorry but are you Park Jinyoung?”

He looked up at them with one of his perfected dazzling smiles and nodded, “I am.”

The girls looked between themselves with stars in their eyes and one of them said, “Would you mind signing something for us?”

The other looked through her bag and found a couple of pieces of paper. Jinyoung took them gladly, “Of course.”

As he was signing them, one of the girls glanced at the other place setting and asked, “Are you on a date?”

“I am, actually,” Jinyoung replied, making sure to sound as charming as possible. He always got a kick out of seeing his fans swoon.

Her eyes got bigger and she said, “Oh no, are we ruining your date?”

But Jinyoung shook his head and laughed lightly, “No not at all, don’t worry.”

The other said, “I didn’t know you were dating anyone.”

“I am, but shh it’s a secret,” Jinyoung brought a finger to his lips and let his eyes crease in the way that all his fans liked. Even Mark loved it. 

“If we promise not to say anything, can you tell us who it is?” One asked and her friend leaned in as if she wanted to know too.

Jinyoung shook his head with a fake frown, “No, sadly the love of my life doesn’t want anyone to know. But you’ll keep it a secret anyways, right?”

He added a little wink just to push them over the edge. Jinyoung swore he saw one of the girls blink a few times to make sure he was real. Both of them nodded vigorously, “Of course!”

And he smiled, this time for real, “Good.”

They wished him a good day and walked away giggling. Mark reappeared in front of him shortly after. His boyfriend shook his head with a soft smirk and said, “You are unbelievable.” 

“What?” Jinyoung faked his surprised reaction.

Mark frowned and said, “Don’t act around me, you I can tell.”

“Yeah, but those girls can’t,” Jinyoung said, biting a truffle fry. His grin was smug as Mark rolled his eyes. “I love making my fans fall in love with me.”

“Exactly my point,” Mark said. “I don’t need competition.”

“As if you had any to begin with,” Jinyoung said, taking Mark’s hand and holding it with his own. “My heart might as well have ‘Property of Mark Tuan’ stamped across it.”

“You should get that tattooed,” Mark joked, a satisfied gleam in his eyes.

“You want me to get a chest tattoo?” Jinyoung laughed, taking a sip of his water.

Mark smiled, it was also easy to get Mark to swoon over him. But that just came naturally. “Okay maybe not a chest tattoo, but you’d be hot with a tattoo. We could get matching ones.”

“I’m pretty sure my mom would kill me,” Jinyoung said, laughing at Mark’s suggestion. 

“You’re an adult, you can do what you want,” Mark replied with a suggestive smile.

“Are you actually proposing we get matching tattoos?” Mark eyes fluttered down to his plate and then back up.

He shrugged, “Maybe not now…”

“But someday?” Jinyoung asked, trying to look into Mark’s eyes and find the answer.

“Maybe, probably not,” Mark smiled again.

Jinyoung smiled back, “I’m good with maybe, probably not.”

“But more on the probably not?”

“Yeah.” And they both grinned. Jinyoung couldn’t stop thinking that with the sun shining behind Mark and the way that it created this halo of light around him, Mark looked as pretty as an angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they get found out in the next chapter. please tell me what you think, I'm losing motivation for this story.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and another 10k chapter later..........
> 
> lol but I hope you guys are just as excited as I am about getting to this point in the fic!!!
> 
> I was so surprised at the amount of comments I received for the last chapter. I felt so inspired by all your comments, I hope you leave me some on this chapter too. thank you so so much.

When they got back to LA, Jinyoung took Mark home with him. Almost everything Mark wanted to bring to Jinyoung’s was either in his suitcase or already there. He felt dead tired getting off the plane but now that Mark was in the elevator up to the penthouse, he was buzzing with excitement. 

He felt an arm curl around him and looked up to see his boyfriend’s warm eyes, “Excited?”

He beamed up at Jinyoung and his boyfriend kissed his cheek. 

Mark couldn’t help but feel his heart swell in pure joy. He had never moved in or lived with a boyfriend before. Jackson was the closest and calling Jackson anything near a boyfriend was laughable. But there he was, stepping into his new home.

“Welcome home, baby,” Jinyoung said as they walked through the front door. Mark squeezed their linked fingers and smiled.

Home. That’s where he was. In the last month whenever his friends mentioned going home, Mark’s mind automatically went here. Even before Jinyoung asked him to move in, Mark had already started to envision this rather unhomey place as his home. He hoped with some light touches here and there, Mark would make this penthouse feel like his last apartment did. 

Jinyoung had already mentioned going and grabbing whatever Mark wanted from Mark’s apartment the next day and Mark had started to make a list as he walked through their home. 

 

Although the flight was long, Mark still felt exhausted. It was evening in LA but Mark wasn’t hungry. And even though he told Jinyoung that, his boyfriend didn’t listen and ordered them food anyways, insisting that Mark put something in his body before passing out.

As soon as the food hit Mark’s stomach, he felt ten times better. With a full mouth, he mumbled, “Oh my god I was so hungry.”

He watched as Jinyoung’s eyes creased at him. Surprisingly, Jinyoung didn’t say ‘I told you so’. Instead he just kept his warm eyes on Mark and watched him eat. Mark felt thankful for his boyfriend and let himself lean into him. Jinyoung’s arm wrapped around Mark and his hand rubbed up and down Mark’s arm. 

Mark closed his eyes at the soft, familiar feeling and then glanced up at his boyfriend. He looked into Jinyoung’s eyes and didn’t say anything, just peered into those brown eyes that Mark could recognize anywhere. He smiled as he saw into them clear as day. Mark saw how honest they were and appreciated it.

He knew that Jinyoung could put on his actor mask at any point, but just like Mark, he kept his heart on his sleeve. Jackson’s words floated through his head and Mark smiled at how he was right. Mark trusted Jinyoung so much. He completely let his guard down around him. Before Jinyoung, he hadn’t trusted many people outside of his band. 

But Jinyoung kept making promises and keeping them, giving Mark no reason to question him. Jinyoung was always there when he sensed Mark needed it. The only times he wasn’t were times where Jinyoung didn’t know he was was needed. 

Mark could feel his heart beating against his ribs, constant and steady, and he knew that Jinyoung’s was beating to the same rhythm. He realized he felt at home. Not because of the penthouse, but because Jinyoung was here. 

The penthouse was gray and impersonal, there should be no reason why Mark would call it home when his apartment is bright and filled with memories. But when Mark thought of home, he thought of Jinyoung’s home. But the more Mark thought about it, the penthouse didn’t have much to do with it. Jinyoung did. Mark blinked as he realized, “You’re my home.”

“I’m your home?” Jinyoung repeated. His voice was as soft as the fluffiest blanket and warm like a fireplace. Home. 

“Mhm,” Mark nodded. “I feel at home when I’m with you.”

He saw Jinyoung’s eyes shine and suddenly Mark had a familiar hand cupping his face and gentle lips pressing into his. Mark leaned into the kiss and brought his arms around Jinyoung’s neck. He thought that his boyfriend would pull away after a few seconds, but instead it was the opposite. Mark felt himself being lifted up and let it happen, not minding the change. 

Jinyoung’s strong arms wrapped around him and trapped Mark to his body as he was lifted into the air. Even though Mark couldn’t see what was happening, he didn’t feel an ounce of anxiety. He felt safe as Jinyoung started walking, carrying him to where Mark presumed was their bedroom. 

And Mark knew he was right when he got placed gently on the duvet. It was always gently, no matter what mood arised, Jinyoung never failed to be careful with him. Even though he had Jinyoung over him, hips touching his, the bed smelt so heavily of Jinyoung that Mark couldn’t help but smile into their kiss. He hoped that one day it would smell just as heavily of him, of both of them. 

He felt Jinyoung’s hand slide under his shirt and with every touch he left a trail of warmth in his wake as his hand slowly moved up Mark’s stomach. Mark’s oversized shirt that technically belonged to his boyfriend pooled as Jinyoung pushed it farther and farther up his body. Mark willingingly lifted up his arms to let Jinyoung take it off. When their kiss parted as Jinyoung got it over his head, Mark opened his eyes. He saw his boyfriend staring back at him with miles upon miles of affection.

As soon as the shirt was off, Jinyoung pulled his away and then went back to kissing Mark with long, languid motions. Jinyoung only pulled away again to get their pants off and even then he didn’t break the kiss. Mark followed his lips and sat up, keeping his arms wrapped around Jinyoung as his boyfriend silently undressed him.

They weren’t saying anything, but Mark felt everything Jinyoung was trying to say through his actions. Everything was slow, tender and sweet. The only time it was fast was when Jinyoung left his place between Mark’s thighs to go through the drawer next to their bed. 

Mark just leaned back on the bed and enjoyed the feeling of being in a bed he recognized again. In his long run of hotel beds, Mark was happy to feel the familiar sheets he was accustomed to. And then Jinyoung was back as if he had never left, lips on Mark’s without a breath of hesitation. Mark pulled him down over him, securing his boyfriend between his arms. He didn’t want Jinyoung to leave this small radius around him until morning. 

He could feel his boyfriend’s fingers inside him but barely paid attention until he felt electricity flashing through him as Jinyoung brushed his prostate lightly. He could feel Jinyoung smiling into their kiss at Mark’s quick reaction and Mark bit Jinyoung’s bottom lip teasingly. 

A few more purposeful strokes inside him and Mark was moaning, “Just get inside me already.”

“Maybe I will,” Jinyoung teased back, lightly caressing Mark’s cheek as he leaned back and searched for something on the bed.

Sirens went off in Mark’s mind as he saw Jinyoung pick up the condom. He shook his head, “No.”

Jinyoung looked confused and worried at the same time, “No? But you said---”

Mark shook his head again and pushed Jinyoung’s hand down. He watched as Jinyoung’s eyes furrowed and then lit up. He lifted the small package with his two fingers, “No to this?”

Mark smiled and nodded his head, that felt right. He didn’t know why but it did. Maybe it was his thinking about trust or maybe it was the fact that they moved in together. Mark wasn’t sure but he knew he was ready for this step.

Jinyoung blinked like he was trying to process it and then said, “The last time I was tested was in April, are you sure?”

Mark nodded again, “And you’ve been exclusive to me, right?”

He had no doubt that he was right but he asked anyways. Mark grinned when Jinyoung touched his thigh and said, “Of course, baby. No one but you.”

“Me too. I’m totally clean,” Mark said, reaching out for Jinyoung. His boyfriend leaned down again and Mark played with his hair, feeling how soft it was. 

Jinyoung closed his eyes when Mark’s hands carded through his hair and then opened one eye, “There will be more mess though.”

One of Mark’s hand came down to touch his boyfriend’s cheek, “And you’ll clean me up, right?”

Jinyoung smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss before saying, “Right.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” Mark said confidently. Jinyoung smiled and leaned in, kissing him deeply before he adjusted himself. Mark felt the head of his boyfriend’s cock rubbing at his entrance and nodded to Jinyoung, who was watching him closely.

As he felt Jinyoung enter him, Mark smiled. This all felt right to him, he was so happy. 

“Fuck, you feel so good,” Jinyoung moaned under his breath. Mark felt himself beaming. “You felt amazing before but now…”

“You never wanna go back?” Mark teased, his hand settling on Jinyoung’s neck.

He watched Jinyoung shake his head with a smile and then lean in so their noses were brushing past one another, “I love you, baby.”

Mark smiled and said, “I love you more,” before tightening his hold and bringing his lips to Jinyoung’s. 

The kiss felt just as sentimental as before, but perhaps even more now. Mark was just happy to be alone with Jinyoung. To hear and feel nothing but Jinyoung. Moving in with his boyfriend felt like a new chapter of Mark’s life. He had never been so sure of someone the way he was with Jinyoung. 

He thought that Jinyoung would move down to his neck or chest but instead, Jinyoung kept kissing his lips. Maybe Mark was a little greedy, but he didn’t want to let his boyfriend wander across the rest of his body just yet. He was satisfied with this and the slow pace that Jinyoung was setting. 

Mark wrapped his legs around Jinyoung’s hips and he swore he felt Jinyoung smiling into his lips. He nipped at Jinyoung’s bottom lip and felt his own lip get bitten in return. Mark smiled and then felt Jinyoung soothe it over with his tongue. And as Mark’s moans got a little louder, Jinyoung sucked on his lip. 

But Jinyoung didn’t stay there for long. He moved his head down and started working on the soft skin under Mark’s collarbones. Mark felt Jinyoung’s hips speed up and found himself clutching one of Jinyoung’s hands. He smiled at how Jinyoung always seemed to know what he wanted. 

As he tilted his head back and let his eyes close, Mark’s other hand trailed over Jinyoung’s back until he finally made it up his boyfriend’s neck and into his hair. When he ran his fingers through Jinyoung’s hair, he felt a harsher bite on his skin and whined. His collarbones were kissed softly, one and then the other and it almost distracted Mark from feeling a warm hand travel up his side.

It was a second too late before Mark realized where it was traveling to. One of Jinyoung’s fingers lightly brushed over his nipple and Mark’s eyes snapped open, not expecting the touch. When he didn’t feel it again, Mark left out a soft whine and was rewarded with another brush of Jinyoung’s finger. He moaned and this time he felt his nipple being rubbed between two fingers. 

Mark let his eyes close again and moaned louder. Jinyoung’s lips went up to his neck and kissed him softly there. It combated the harsher feeling of his nipple being played with. That combined with Jinyoung’s hips hitting him dead on with every single thrust, Mark was starting to feel closer and closer to the edge. He felt the pleasure of it all building up as his moans only got louder.

He squeezed Jinyoung’s hand when Jinyoung’s thrusts got harder and moaned, “I’m close fuck.”

The lips pressed into his neck turned up into a grin and Mark heard Jinyoung’s low voice reply with, “Me too, baby.”

When Jinyoung’s voice got like this, Mark was in heaven. If he heard Jinyoung talk to him with this voice in a public place, Mark knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from getting hard.

He felt Jinyoung’s hand on his cock and smiled to himself. But when Jinyoung’s hand started moving, Mark’s lips trembled. He tried to bite his bottom lip at the feeling but a moan came spilling out when Jinyoung’s hand stroke just his head. “Fuck, babe.”

Jinyoung’s hand started moving faster in tune with his thrusts and Mark knew it was any second before he was going to be sent over the edge. Another kiss was pressed into his neck before he felt Jinyoung’s teeth scrape across his skin and then bite down. The unexpected pressure had Mark’s eyes rolling back as he shot into his boyfriend’s hand.

He felt a few more thrusts before hearing Jinyoung ask, “Can I still…?”

Mark nodded as he felt the aftershocks course through him, “Cum inside me.”

Maybe it was how whiny his voice sounded or maybe it what he said, Mark didn’t know but he heard Jinyoung’s breathing get rougher before, “Shit, fuck.”

He smiled knowing that Jinyoung was releasing into him and hugged his boyfriend closer. Instead of laying next to Mark after he pulled out, Jinyoung got off the bed and went to the bathroom. Mark heard the water of the sink run before he saw his boyfriend reappear, washcloth in hand.

Mark grinned at how Jinyoung remembered his promise. Once Jinyoung was back on the bed, Mark saw him staring down at his hole with a proud smirk before cleaning Mark up. 

After Mark felt a lot less sticky, Jinyoung resumed his spot next to Mark on the bed and kissed Mark’s cheek. Mark snuggled up to him and felt Jiyoung’s arms around him and smiled. This was where he was supposed to be. And this was where he was going to be every night from now on. He never felt happier.

 

“Is this how it’s going to be?” Jinyoung asked as he walked into the kitchen to find a very alluring sight.

Mark was bending over the countertop in the middle of the kitchen wearing nothing but a shirt of Jinyoung’s that was too big for him. One of the sleeves was sliding off his shoulder, exposing more than necessary and making it unbearably hard to not imagine pressing soft lips into Mark’s even softer skin. Not to mention the way that the shirt draped over Mark’s back and pooled in the middle, showing off exactly what Mark wanted him to see: his ass. 

With the way that Mark was subtly arching his back, Jinyoung had no choice but to roam his eyes over his favorite part of his boyfriend. Mark’s baby pink hole was still a little puffy and loose from the night before and Jinyoung knew all of his resolve had been broken the second he walked into the kitchen.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mark said as he continued scrolling through his phone. Although he said that, Jinyoung could hear the smirk in his voice. 

Jinyoung came up behind him and palmed his ass, just firm enough to get Mark’s attention, and walked to the refrigerator without a second glance. He took out some juice and set it on the countertop next to the fridge, acutely aware of Mark’s eyes on him. 

He took a glass off the shelf and made sure his hands were in Mark’s frame of sight at all times as he unscrewed the top off the juice bottle and poured it into the glass. As he held it, his thumb brushed over the glass mindlessly, although it was anything but. He wanted to make his boyfriend want him.

Jinyoung knew watching was killing Mark, especially when he took a sip and then licked his bottom lip slowly. He thought he heard a small whine so Jinyoung turned around as he took another sip and saw that Mark’s phone had been abandoned on the countertop. He smirked, keeping his eyes from meeting Mark’s, and rubbed at his lips with his thumb as if he was rubbing away a droplet or two. 

Another whine was heard, this time a little louder and Jinyoung finally let his gaze land on Mark. His boyfriend’s eyes were dilated and Jinyoung smirked again. In his most unassuming tone, Jinyoung asked, “Oh I’m sorry, did you want something?”

He saw how Mark’s lips parted and Jinyoung’s smirk turned into a secretive grin. 

“Don’t do this to me,” Mark said, his voice breathier than Jinyoung would have imagined.

Jinyoung laughed, setting down the mostly empty glass. “Don’t do this to you? Baby, you’re the one who started this.”

“Please,” It was no more louder than a whisper. But Mark’s eyes were big and Jinyoung knew that he won. He made Mark want him than he wanted Mark. But that wasn’t to say Jinyoung didn’t want him at all, his cock was already half hard against his thigh.

Giving in to Mark’s demand, Jinyoung walked behind his boyfriend and slapped his ass as he said, “Stay just like that.”

He was back within moments with lube in hand. He set it on the ground and got to his knees silently, not wanting to alert his boyfriend to his plans. Jinyoung palmed Mark’s ass again and watched his hole contract at the touch. Just the sight had his dick twitch in his pants.

Jinyoung leaned in and let saliva bubble up through his lips and drip down over Mark’s hole. With it all wet and waiting, Jinyoung softly blew warm air over it and watched his boyfriend’s hole quiver at the sensation. He lightly pressed his warm tongue against his boyfriend’s entrance and licked a stripe up. He felt Mark shudder from the contact and moan out a curse. Jinyoung smiled as he repeated the motion again, a little firmer this time with wide strokes. 

He knew he could slide his tongue in at any moment. He didn’t have to get Mark to relax at all but Jinyoung loved the little noises Mark made when he teased him like this. So he continued to slowly lick against Mark’s already fucked out hole, adding pressure little by little. The pace was agonizing to Mark as he whined and Jinyoung couldn’t help but smirk.

He felt Mark rub himself against Jinyoung’s tongue and pulled away. He didn’t want Mark to have any control in this. Mark whined again and Jinyoung leaned in. But instead of leading up to it, Jinyoung slid his tongue in and Mark jumped at the feeling. He felt Mark’s hole squeeze loosely around his tongue and smiled before pushing in a little deeper and licking against his boyfriend’s inner walls. 

Mark dropped from his elbows and laid flat against the countertop. Jinyoung could hear his happy moans through closed lips and put his hand behind Mark’s knee, slowly bringing his hand up to the back of Mark’s thigh. He rubbed slowly into the soft skin just to add extra stimulation as he continued to lick soft circles inside his boyfriend. 

He knew that Mark was in happy bliss from all the warm strokes of Jinyoung’s tongue slowly rimming him. Mark liked attention and he especially like this because all of Jinyoung was paying attention to him. It was just enough stimulation that Mark was satisfied but soon he started to grow bored. Jinyoung could always tell by how high pitched Mark’s moans got. 

After a particularly loud whimper, Jinyoung rolled his eyes with amusement. He pushed his tongue deeper and felt Mark freeze like he was waiting for something. Jinyoung’s tongue slid over the spot he was looking for and Mark sucked in air. He knew he found what he was looking for.

But he wasn’t going to let Mark have what he wanted just yet, so Jinyoung continued to brush over it lightly until his boyfriend was moaning, “Please.”

And then finally Jinyoung licked over it with enough pressure to get Mark to moan, “Oh my god.”

He continued to push his tongue in and out of Mark’s hole until the stimulation wasn’t enough and Mark was begging for more. Jinyoung just smiled and leaned back, strings of saliva dripping down off his lip as he did. He reached for the lube and squeezed a little on his fingers. But before introducing his fingers, Jinyoung pressed his lips to Mark’s waiting entrance and kissed him softly. 

Jinyoung slid in two fingers with ease and licked around them as he stretched Mark further. He did this until his boyfriend was ready for a third and then kissed along Mark’s ass haphazardly, just letting Mark know he was there. 

But he couldn’t get away with just kisses so Jinyoung sucked a bruise into Mark’s soft skin, knowing that he would smirk at it later. He heard Mark’s quiet ‘please’ and said, “Please what?”

“You know what,” Mark moaned impatiently, fucking himself on Jinyoung’s fingers. But Jinyoung pulled them out and stood up.

The view below him was breathtaking. Mark’s ass all red and his hole wet and ready. Jinyoung knew Mark’s cock was probably dripping precum onto the floor by now and smiled to himself. He pulled down his jeans and slid his cock over Mark’s entrance. He heard another whimpered, “Please.”

And again he asked, “Please what?”

His head poked at his boyfriend’s gaping hole and Mark moaned, “Please fuck me.”

Jinyoung smirked and pushed in. Instead of letting his boyfriend adjust to being filled up completely, Jinyoung snapped his hips and fucked him roughly. Though based off on Mark’s moans, he didn’t mind. 

As he changed his position just a little, Jinyoung heard, “Fuck, just like that.”

“Just like this baby?” He asked, thrusting in the exact same way. Mark hands gripped onto nothing as his moaned louder, his words lost. Jinyoung took that as a yes.

Mark had his cheek against the stone of the countertop and his eyes closed. Jinyoung’s lips parted as he watched the way Mark’s whole body slid up and down the shiny stone from just thrusting into him.

He kept fucking into Mark, feeling how good it felt to be inside the wet heat. Mark really wasn’t lying when he said that Jinyoung would never want to come back from this. He felt everything so much more intensely now, like his senses had been heightened. And the feeling coupled with Mark’s moans echoing off the high ceilings had Jinyoung going wild.

He never wanted to stop feeling like this, with his heart pounding against his ribs and the way that Mark was tightening around him. It was perfect. Jinyoung had his hands on either sides of Mark’s hips to help him keep Mark steady so that he could thrust faster but one of his hands decided to explore. He kept one gripped tight on Mark’s hip, probably leaving another bruise, while the other trailed along the side of Mark’s back.

His fingers wandered across the panes of his boyfriend’s back, feeling the muscles move underneath the pads of his fingertips. Jinyoung spread out his hand and moved it up the center of Mark’s back, following the arch that his boyfriend created as he tried to prop himself up for just the right angle. 

Mark’s skin was so warm under his touch and Jinyoung smiled as his hand continued to roam. He could feel himself getting closer and knew that it was time for his hand to travel south. Around Mark’s hip, Jinyoung brought his hand down to Mark’s leaking cock. “Aw baby, you’re so wet for me.”

“Touch me,” Mark moaned. Jinyoung was stroking his thumb slowly over Mark’s slit, feeling the precum pool around his finger. 

“I’m already touching you, love,” Jinyoung said with a teasing tone. He knew that wasn’t enough for his boyfriend. He knew exactly what Mark wanted him to do.

His thrusts got faster and Mark begged, “Please fuck, just get me off.”

“You want to cum?” Jinyoung asked, slamming his hips against Mark’s ass and ramming into him over and over.

“Yes, please please,” Mark begged and Jinyoung finally wrapped his hand around Mark’s throbbing cock and stroked him firmly.

“Then cum,” Jinyoung demanded and not even a second later he felt warm, sticky liquid shooting over his fingers.

He heard Mark’s familiar, “Shit daddy yesyesyes.”

And that little slip of ‘daddy’ had Jinyoung cumming into him with a low, “Oh fuck.”

When he pulled out, Jinyoung admired the sight before him. Now Mark’s hole was even more puffy and red, but this time he watched as his cum slowly dripped out as Mark laid against the counter. If Jinyoung ever needed to get himself off, it was going to be to this. 

“We should take a shower,” Jinyoung announced after taking a few mental pictures. 

He hearn Mark whine and Jinyoung laughed, “Baby, we haven’t showered since we got home. I can clean you up again but you should let me clean you out properly.”

“Can you cum in me again before you do that?” Mark asked, looking over his shoulder. His eyes were still clouded over with lust.

“Again?” Jinyoung asked. Mark arched his back again and put himself on display. He felt his cock coming back to life as another dribble of his cum slid down Mark’s inner thigh.

“Please?” Mark asked, his bottom lip jutting out and his eyes wide. Jinyoung internally cursed himself for never being able to say no to his boyfriend.

“Alright,” He said and pushed back in, putting his hands on his boyfriend’s hips again. But just as he curled his hand around Mark’s hips, adding pressure as he got ready to thrust again, Mark yelped. Jinyoung pulled back instantly, worried.

“Did you bruise my hip again?” Mark asked. He looked back to see the red handprint on his left hip and frowned.

“Does it hurt?” Jinyoung asked, feeling bad about hurting his boyfriend.

Mark nodded, flipped over and said, “We should change positions anyways.”

He sat up and reached out for Jinyoung, who took him into his arms. “Fuck me in the shower?”

Jinyoung laughed softly and replied, “Can do, my love.”

He started to pick Mark up but his boyfriend squirmed in his arms. Jinyoung raised an eyebrow at him and Mark complained, “You’re not inside me anymore.”

Jinyoung smirked at his boyfriend’s complaint and guided his cock into Mark’s ass. Once it was snug inside, Jinyoung looked up at his boyfriend’s blissed out smile and asked, “Better?”

“Much,” His boyfriend replied happily.

 

 

After those first few days together, Jinyoung had to go back to filming and Mark had a band to get back to. But just as Jinyoung had suggested, the time between seeing each other didn’t feel as restless as before. 

Coming home to each other every night was exactly what Mark needed. He loved the routine they were getting into of whoever got home first bought dinner. And he loved not having to plan times to see each other or to savour every second he had by Jinyoung’s side. Things flowed easily between them and Mark didn’t miss living without him for a second. 

Jinyoung bought a new car after Mark fully moved in and just like he said, Jinyoung bought the exact same model and color. Secretly, Mark had been trying to push him towards getting the car in red. And he almost had Jinyoung convinced until the last second. In the end, Jinyoung still thought that black was more classy.

Mark had been excited to ride in it until his boyfriend suggested he drove it to the recording studio the next day.

“Take my car, love. It’s way faster than waiting for an uber,” His boyfriend suggested and Mark almost dropped his phone.

“You want me to drive your car? You just bought it yesterday,” Mark said, not believing his own ears. 

Jinyoung shrugged like it was nothing and said, “You can drive, right?”

Mark narrowed his eyes at the question, “Of course I can drive.”

“I never seen you behind the wheel of anything, sorry!” Jinyoung said, putting his hands up in surrender.

“I just don’t have a car,” Mark replied and closed out of the uber app. “Parking on the street next to the apartment is a nightmare.”

“Well, did you want to take mine today?” Jinyoung offered again. “You’d just have to drive me to set and then pick me up. You could take the car everyday if you wanted.”

Mark looked at Jinyoung like he grew antlers. No one he knew or had ever known would trust someone with a brand new car, especially before ever seeing them drive. “Are you serious?”

But his boyfriend didn’t seem to understand what the big deal was, “Yeah, I keep the keys next to the front door on that table. Take them whenever you want.”

“You must really love me,” Mark commented in disbelief.

“I tell you that everyday, don’t I?” Jinyoung smiled and pushed Mark’s bangs out of his eyes. He left and came back with the keys splayed out in hand.

Jinyoung touched a silver key and said, “This is the key to get into the house, you already have this. This bronze one is to my parent’s house, don’t lose that. And then this is the key to the car, which I sure you could have figured out because it’s in the shape of the car.”

His boyfriend laughed at his own words but Mark was looking at something else. He lifted up the keychain that Jinyoung hadn’t pointed out and said, “I bought you this in Hawaii. You use it?”

On one of their last days there, Jinyoung had a morning off and they toured the town together. Mark had been complaining that he felt bad whenever Jinyoung bought him things and that this whole vacation felt like too much. So Jinyoung had told him that Mark was allowed to buy him one gift and one gift only. 

But they were on the side of the road after eating breakfast and the only thing that was around was a small giftshop. So, Mark bought him the cheesiest keychain hee could find. It had a rainbow, a dolphin and the ocean. And also Mark’s name. 

When he gave Jinyoung the keychain, his boyfriend laughed and said, “Why are you giving me a keychain with your name on it?”

And Mark hesitantly said, “So that you’ll always remember me and our time together here.”

Jinyoung’s amused smirk left his face immediately and his eyes turned soft and said, “I love you so much.”

Mark’s smile didn’t leave until Jinyoung had to leave for set that day.

 

“Of course I do, baby. You gave it to me,” Jinyoung said with a gentle voice.

Mark felt touched. He didn’t think his boyfriend would actually use it, the keychain was so cheesy and didn’t fit Jinyoung’s aesthetic at all. But he did anyways because it meant something to him. Because Mark meant something to him. 

And within seconds, Mark’s arms were wrapped around Jinyoung’s neck. He felt Jinyoung pull him closer into a hug and smiled. With his boyfriend’s warm hands against his back and curling around his side, Mark’s only thought was how much he loved Jinyoung. “I’m so lucky you’re mine.”

But Jinyoung shook his head, “I’m lucky to be yours.”

“Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve you and right now is one of those times,” Mark said quietly, hiding his face in his boyfriend’s neck.

“You deserve me every second of everyday because there isn’t an inch of you not worth loving,” Jinyoung replied and Mark felt tears well up in his eyes. 

His boyfriend must have sensed them because Mark felt fingers moving through his hair tenderly and their embrace get tighter. With a kiss to his neck, Mark heard, “I would crazy to not know how special you are and to not know how lucky I am to have to in my life.”

 

 

And then about a week later Mark had a meeting to discuss the finalization of the album. Once he and the band show the demos they recorded to the label and picked out the next single, they were set to shoot the new music video and start lining up interviews and photoshoots for their album promotion. It felt like everything was coming together.

Mark had a boyfriend that he loved and now lived with, his friends were doing well and the band was thriving. He couldn’t believe their third album was about to come out but he felt more confident about the new songs they wrote than half of the last album they put out. Simply said, Mark was happy. 

As Jinyoung poured him and Mark coffee, he asked, “What are you doing today, love?”

“I have a hair appointment and then a meeting with the label about the album,” Mark replied as he poured cereal into his empty bowl.

Jinyoung watched him and joked, “I’m so glad I’m in love with someone who doesn’t pour the milk first.”

“I’m not crazy, babe,” Mark laughed as he tipped the milk carton.

“But anyways, hair appointment? What are you going to do?” Jinyoung asked, setting a mug in front of Mark.

“Shave my head and dye the baby hairs bright purple,” Mark said with a straight face. When Jinyoung’s eyes widened slightly and Mark felt him searching his face for truthfulness, Mark laughed and said, “Probably just a trim, my bangs are getting a little long. That, and my roots are growing out.”

Jinyoung smiled and took a sip, looking much less surprised than a second ago. “I thought your hair gave you a devil-may-care look.”

Mark rolled his eyes and smiled, “Then I’m definitely not the devil because my roots have been bugging me way too much for me to say that I don’t care.”

“Are you keeping the blonde?” Jinyoung asked, gesturing to Mark’s hair with his mug.

Tilting his head to the side and letting his bangs fall over his eyes, Mark reached up and twirled a few strands between his fingers. “I’m not sure. I’ve been blonde for a while.”

Jinyoung came up behind him and kissed his hair, “Well whatever you decide, I’m sure you’ll look just as cute.”

“But no shaved head?” Mark grinned as he felt Jinyoung freeze and then pull away, trying to cover up his distaste. Mark laughed, “Don’t worry babe, I wouldn’t shave my head in a million years. And I’m pretty sure my head is lumpy so it’d just be weird.”

Jinyoung smiled and leaned next to Mark, “What time is your appointment?”

“Noon, the meeting is at 3,” Mark replied as he scooped around to find a rainbow marshmallow in his lucky charms.

“So you’ll be taking the car?” Jinyoung asked, no hesitation in his voice. Mark still couldn’t believe that Jinyoung trusted him so much, but at the same time he could. Jinyoung never seemed worried or concerned at all when Mark took the car for the day.

“Yeah, is that fine?” Mark said and Jinyoung carded his hand through Mark’s hair. 

“It’s always fine, love.”

 

And that was how Mark ended up driving the shiny new porsche around town that day. He hadn’t driven in a while before Jinyoung’s offer and honestly the amount of torque the car had scared Mark a little at first. It had felt odd to be the one kissing Jinyoung goodbye and driving away but at the same time, Mark was excited about the freedom of driving. He got used to holding Jinyoung’s hand as he drove and enjoying driving on sunny days. 

Mark walked into his normal hair salon with a wide smile, unable to take it off from that morning with Jinyoung. His hairdresser, Lisa commented on it immediately, “Wow, someone is getting laid.”

With tinted cheeks, Mark responded with, “I mean I am, but not today. Yet, at least.”

“Yet? Are you seeing this mystery boy later today?” Mark smiled at how she picked up on him being gay. They hadn’t talked about relationships before, at least not his. 

“I actually live with him,” He replied and she just about dropped her coffee.

“Who? Is it Jackson? There’s no way it’s Yugyeom, right? I guess I could see you with Bambam but not really, you know? Oh shit, tell me it’s not Bambam,” She asked rapidly and Mark almost fell out of his chair laughing.

He waved his hand as if to say no, “No, god no. I moved in with my boyfriend this month. I’m not dating one of my best friends, that would be a disaster.”

“You’ve been dating a guy for that long and haven’t told me?” Lisa asked with her hands on her hips. She snickered and said teasing, “I thought we were friends!”

“We are, I promise,” Mark said and she rolled her eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair to see the condition it was in.

“How long have you been together then?” Lisa asked.

“Almost 7 months,” Mark said with too big of a smile.

He saw her wide, disapproving eyes through the mirror, “You moved in with a guy after only 7 months of being together?” 

Mark smiled sheepishly and she huffed, “Who is he anyways? Would I know him?”

“Can you keep a secret?” Mark asked, biting his lip.

Lisa put her hand on her hip with a surprised look on her face, “Is he that famous?”

Mark nodded and then waited for her reply. She said yes and Mark took a breath before saying, “My boyfriend is Park Jinyoung.”

She dropped the comb in her hands and said, “Shut up.” Mark smiled. 

Lisa shook her head with thin lips, “You are not dating Park Jinyoung, that is not a thing that is happening right now because the Mark I know would have told me that he’s dating the man of his dreams.”

He grinned guiltily and whispered, “Sorry…”

Lisa raised an eyebrow and extended her hand, “I need proof.”

Mark handed her his phone and as she took it, the phone lit up and showcased his background. It was a picture of his hand holding the polaroid of them kissing out over the ledge of the Eiffel tower. Lisa squinted and then clicked her tongue, “You motherfucker. I can’t believe you snatched Park fucking Jinyoung.”

“It’s a cute picture, right? Jackson took it of us and scared the shit out of me,” Mark said with a soft smile, remembering the moment.

“It’s pretty fucking cute, I’ll give you that,” She said, shaking her head like she still couldn’t believe it was true. “Now what are we doing?”

Mark reached up and touched his hair, “I was thinking of changing colors. But I’m not sure what to change to.”

“What’s your favorite color?” 

“Red,” Mark said without thinking. He guessed it was a red day, he was wearing red vans that day afterall. 

“Dark or bright?” She questioned.

“Dark,” He replied.

“Then dark red it is.” Mark smiled, he hadn’t been red in a while.

 

Mark sat there nervously as he watched the higher ups of his label listen to their demos. They recorded every song Mark wrote on tour, just in case their label saw something in the songs that the band didn’t. They all had favorites amongst the songs and Mark just hoped that his favorite got picked. 

His song, which he ended up naming Paris, was last. Mark watched all of their faces, eyes darting from one person to the next. He could have sworn that he saw some of them smile, even just a little bit. Mark really wanted this song to be picked but he was terrified it wouldn’t. He knew it was all over the internet, so they would have to release it, right?

When the song ended, someone from the label said, “That last one, that was the one you guys played in Paris?”

Mark nodded, hoping that them saying that meant something good.

But instead the man sighed and said, “Don’t do that ever again. If the song hasn’t been approved by us, you can’t play it. We don’t want some shitty song out there representing you guys or the new album.”

Mark’s heart dropped and he felt himself sinking in his chair. Shitty song? Their fans seemed to like it. At least they did when he checked social media, but maybe it was just the hype of a new song? Him and the others mumbled a chorus of, “We understand.”

“Now, the good thing is,” The same guy continued. “This song is actually good. Out of everything you just showed me, this is easily the best song.”

And then the other label producers and even their CEO, Mr. Lee, nodded, agreeing with him. Mark’s eyes widened but bit his tongue. This sounded too good to be true.

Someone else, Mark recognised her as a producer they’ve worked with before, said, “I agree. I think it should be the album single. But all of these are strong songs too. I would strongly consider recording all them and then thinking about replacing some of the songs already on the album.”

Mark’s whole face lit up. That was exactly what he had hoped they would say.

“But that would take more time,” Another said.

And the same producer shrugged and she said, “We still have a couple weeks. I know them, they could have the whole album done next week no problem.”

Mark grinned. It was true but he didn’t expect someone at the label to vouch for them. This was their third album so the band was given a little more freedom these days but still, Mark didn’t think anyone would openly praise them.

“I agree with Becca, these songs are some of their best work and should definitely be on the album,” Their label representative, Megan said. Mark smiled at her and she winked back. 

And then they all looked towards Mr. Lee who had his legs crossed and was sitting back in his chair. He shrugged and said, “If you all think it’s a good idea, then let’s do it. It’ll be a turning point for their image but I think that you’ve all proven that you can handle yourself well. I don’t doubt that the album will be a success.”

When the CEO addressed them directly, Mark felt himself stop breathing for a second. It was so scary to be in the same room as Mr. Lee nonetheless be talked to by him. Just one man could decide Mark’s and the band’s fate so it was a relief that he was speaking kindly of them. Mark smiled to himself because he knew with that, the meeting was over and that his fate of redbulls and late nights in the studio was sealed. 

Almost everyone got up but Megan said she wanted to speak with all of them. So the other label staff left and only the five of them remained. Along the long table, it was the four of them on one side and then her on the other.

“I just wanted to check in before the album comes out,” She said. “I need to know of anything that could possibly turn into a scandal and become bad press for the band. Zack has told me most of the developments but I wanted to hear it from you.”

Megan looked to Mark first and said, “I heard Jinyoung made a dramatic entrance on tour.”

Mark blushed and played with his sleeves, “Uh, yeah. That was a lapse of judgement…”

“You can’t go around pulling stunts like that,” She said with a firmness to her voice. “Media was already inquiring about dating rumors just from the videos of you running off stage. I noticed we heard a lot of love songs today and I’m sure everyone who hears the album will as well but I also know that you weren’t the only one writing those songs.”

Megan turned to Jackson and said, “Do you have anything you’d like to confess to? Maybe a girlfriend? Boyfriend?”

The drummer grinned, “I just so happen to have a boyfriend, yes.”

“Tell me he’s not famous,” Megan sighed.

“It’s Im Jaebum,” He said proudly and she groaned.

“I wonder how that happened,” Megan glared at Mark who only smiled. And then she turned to Yugyeom and Bambam, “And you two need to be careful. Fans already go wild over the thoughts of you two together, but we need to keep your relationship as a fan’s fantasy, okay? We can’t let them know it’s real.”

Bambam shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Yugyeom nodded. After tour ended and they went back to their normal lives, Mark half expected Bambam to ghost Yugyeom and pretend like nothing happened. And according to Jackson, Bambam tried. But it only lasted a day before they were back to being attached at the hip. Yugyeom texted Mark the other day in all caps telling Mark that him and Bambam were officially together. And Mark couldn’t be happier for them.

“All four of you dating is really hazardous to your image and I implore you all to stay as lowkey as possible these next weeks before the album comes out,” She said sternly. Mark liked Megan, she was understanding and kind but could really lay down the hammer if she needed. 

They all nodded and she dismissed them. As they were leaving, Megan said, “If I have to deal with one of your dating scandals, I will hunt you down and skin you alive.”

She said it with a light hearted laugh but Mark couldn’t help but shiver at the thought. 

 

They all had just decided to take a break from recording and have lunch. Jackson practically begged Mark to take him to some dim sum restaurant because apparently there was some carryout special that he just had to have. The other two decided to hang back and whether that was because their long legs couldn’t fit in the nonexistent backseat of the porsche or because they wanted to make out in the studio, Mark wasn’t sure. But he had a feeling it was the latter.

Mark walked out of the restaurant holding way more food than the thought he was going to. He balanced the plastic bag of to go containers in one hand and reached into his back pocket for the car keys with the other. As he unlocked the car, Mark heard the flash of a camera and internally groaned.

He was just grabbing lunch, why did people need to take pictures of him? As he got into the car, he saw paparazzi and a couple fans who must have seen them go into the restaurant and waited for them. Mark was happy to talk to fans but people carrying around cameras and selling the photos for a quick buck were just annoying. But since he had an image to keep up, he waved with a teethless smile. 

“How did they even find us?” Jackson said as he put the bags of food in the backseat.

“It’s downtown LA, of course someone recognised us,” Mark said with the roll of his eyes.

“I’m sure with your new hair and new car, those photos will be everywhere by tomorrow,” Jackson shrugged. “At least it was me and you. Us hanging out together will be good album promotion.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Mark said as he pulled out of his parking spot and drove away. “I just hope no one searches the plates and finds out I don’t own this car.”

Jackson thought for a second and said, “I’m pretty sure magazines edit out license plates.”

Mark gave a hum of response and Jackson played their favorite band. Over the music, Jackson asked, “Do you kind of feel like a trophy husband? Like one second you’re living in a shitty apartment with three guys and the next you live in one of the most expensive buildings in LA driving a brand new porsche?”

Mark felt his lips turn up at the corner and laughed, “A trophy husband?”

“Well I can’t call you a gold digger because you’re rich too, just not like as rich,” Jackson said dramatically, making Mark’s smile turn into a grin. This is why Jackson was his best friend. 

“I’m a damn lucky trophy husband then, I don’t think most would let me take their car all day,” Mark replied, swerving through traffic.

“You’re right, I’ve been trying to figure out how to hint at wanting to drive Jaebum’s car,” The drummer said, taking a sip of the green boba tea they got at the restaurant. 

“Jacks you can’t even drive,” Mark stated with an amused smile.

“I know that! But Jaebum doesn’t!” Jackson crossed his arms. “And don’t go telling Jinyoung that either. I want to see if Jaebum would say yes.”

“Is this some sort of testing of trust?” Jackson shrugged with his eyes down and Mark sighed. “Jackson, you know he loves you. You don’t have to do something like that for him to show you.”

“I know,” Jackson mumbled. “It’s just ever since we said the L word I got worried that I’m going to end up loving him more than he loves me and then I’ll be the vulnerable one.”

Mark frowned, “That’s not something you should be worried about.”

“It was just nice knowing that he loved me when I didn’t love him back yet. I felt like I had the upper hand, you know? But now I don’t because I’m just as lovesick as him,” Jackson said and Mark could tell that he was being serious, which was worrisome.

“Don’t think about who has more power in the relationship, we all know it’s you anyways. Jaebum is so whipped for you, but he’s whipped because he is listening to his heart over his mind. Which is something you could learn from him,” Mark said pointedly and Jackson sighed loudly.

“Yeah, yeah…,” Jackson said as he waved his hand in the air. But Mark knew that Jackson was taking his words to heart, it just might take a little for him to make something of them.

When they got back, Yugyeom was more mellow than they left him and Bambam’s hair was out of place. Once Mark saw Bambam chewing gum he rolled his eyes and said, “Really? You gave him head while we were out?”

Bambam grinned, “You should be thanking me, okay? He wanted to return the favor but for the safety of his throat I told him no.”

“How much do you wanna bet that they just ran out of time and in hindsight realized that Yugyeom with a dick down his throat would be bad for his voice?” Jackson said as he put the food on the table.

Mark laughed and said, “An infinite amount of money.”

Their guitarist narrowed his eyes at them but didn’t say anything, probably because they were right. Both Mark and Jackson exchanged grins before digging into their food.

 

Mark drove to where Jinyoung was filming with nervous energy. He wasn’t worried that Jinyoung wouldn’t like his now red hair, he just wasn’t sure how Jinyoung would react. Mark was more excited than anything as he fiddled with the mirror for the fifth time since he stopped the car. He saw Jinyoung exit the building and felt his smile grow.

He saw the way Jinyoung took the sight of him in, with wide and approving eyes and couldn’t help but grin wider. “Red?”

“Mhm,” Mark said happily. “Do you like it?”

Jinyoung’s eyes zeroed in on his hair as he brought his hand up to feel the freshly dyed hair with his own fingers, “I didn’t think you could get any hotter but I guess I was wrong. I like dark hair on you.”

By then Mark was practically beaming. The hand in his hair wasn’t enough, he wanted Jinyoung closer. He hadn’t seen him all day and after hearing Jackson talking about love, it only made Mark more appreciative of his own relationship. 

Thankfully, Jinyoung leaned in for a hello kiss and Mark put his hand on the back of Jinyoung’s neck to keep him there for longer. He felt the surprise from Jinyoung and then the relaxation that followed. Jinyoung took his time with the kiss and Mark couldn’t be happier. 

When Mark finally let him go, Jinyoung pulled away with a smirk, “Did you miss me today?”

“I miss you everyday, but talking to Jackson about Jaebum made me miss you a little more today,” Mark explained and Jinyoung took his hand and kissed it. His eyes creased and Mark felt his stomach flutter and heart swell. 

 

That night before bed Mark saw an article that Jackson sent him about his “new” car and laughed. And then he laughed harder at the other article that Jackson sent him titled “Celebrities With Their Luxury Cars”. He 1. couldn’t believe that he was included in this amongst other actors and celebrities way more popular than him and 2. just about died of laughter when he saw Jinyoung on the list. It was Jinyoung’s old car but, still. Jackson’s caption was a wall of laughing emojis and Mark thoroughly agreed.

He looked at the replies and saw his name pop up. Some were about how good he looked with red hair and others were commenting on Jinyoung and Mark having the same car. His heart skipped a beat before he saw other replies mentioning how weird it was because Mark and Jinyoung are so different. 

And then his heart stopped completely when he saw a reply with hundreds of likes pointing out how their keychains were exactly the same. Mark rushed back to the article to see if his name could be seen on Jinyoung’s keychain. Thankfully it couldn’t but the blood in his veins felt like ice anyways. This was the first time, to his knowledge that anyone had ever connected the two of them. 

But most of the replies were disbelieving so Mark finally exhaled a breath that he didn’t even know he had been holding. Things were okay, he kept telling himself. No one will care about this. Why would anyone compare their cars or keychains besides this niche amount of people?

He went to bed with a much clearer head and a lighter heart.

 

buzz buzz buzz

Mark groaned and flipped over, away from the obtrusive noise. He felt his boyfriend’s arms tighten around him instinctively and Mark snuggled further into Jinyoung’s side. Mark ignored the sound again, drifting back into sleep.

buzz buzz buzz

Eyes snapping open, Mark’s jaw squared. Who was calling him at this hour? Wait, what hour was it? He didn’t have band practice, did he? Groaning again, Mark pulled out of Jinyoung’s arms and reached for the bedside table where his phone was. It was Thursday, right? Mark’s sleep heavy mind attempted to think of what anyone could possibly be calling him for. 

He saw the caller id and his eyes widened. It was his manager. Did they have a meeting with the label? Mark answered and his manager’s voice was immediately yelling through the phone, “Why the fuck aren’t you answering your phone?”

Groggily, Mark sat up and rubbed his eye and said, “It’s Thursday, I was sleeping in.”

“I’ve called you at least 20 times!” His manager’s voice was so loud that Mark had to move the phone away from his ear. He heard his manager take a deep breath and then say, “Listen, this isn’t a lesire call, okay? The fans found out.”

Mark stared at the painting on Jinyoung’s wall, confused. And then he joked, “What? Did Jackson and Bambam go to a movie high again?”

He laughed to himself, remembering how hard his bandmates were trying to act like they weren’t stoned out of their minds as fans asked for photos in the movie theater. 

But his laughter was cut short when Mark’s manager said, “No. They know about you and Jinyoung.”

The redhead’s stomach dropped. He felt Jinyoung’s face rubbing into his bare shoulder and an arm wrapping itself lazily around his torso. “W-What? They know? Like about--?”

“Yes,” Came his manager’s resolute reply. “The label wants you here in an hour to discuss your options.”

“In an hour?” Mark asked disbelieving. “But it takes almost an hour just to drive there!”

He heard the click of his manager’s tongue as Mark pulled the sheets away and got out of bed, gathering his clothes from the floor. “I know. If you would have answered 30 minutes ago when I first called, you would have been able to shower. But now you have to meet with the CEO smelling like sex.”

Mark narrowed his eyes at his manager’s patronizing tone. He fucked up, Mark understood that but his manager didn’t have to be this mean this early in the morning. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be there at fast as I can.”

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Jinyoung called from the bed as Mark frantically pulled a shirt over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, our boys got found out! what do you guys think will happen now? I would love to know your thoughts and predictions. 
> 
> and again, thank you thank you thank you for all your comments. I don't think I would be getting this chapter out to you nearly this fast, if at all if it wasn't for all of your kind words. 
> 
> also sorry for the smut cliffhanger I thought three smut scenes in a row would be too much


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very anxious releasing this chapter. I feel like there are a lot of expectations of how this story was going to go after they got found out and I hope I meet them. Or at least I hope I don't disappoint. 
> 
> also I was surprised how right some of you guessed on this. congrats to you guys.

Mark ran to the bathroom with half his shirt on and attempted to wet his toothbrush as he put his arm through his shirt. Jinyoung found him hurriedly trying to find their toothpaste, pulling things off the counter and making a bigger mess. 

“It was right here, where did it go? Fuck why can’t I find anything?” Mark said, his voice hitching as tears threatened to fall over his cheeks. 

His hands were shaky as he messily combed through his drawer, displacing everything out of its place. Mark didn’t understand why finding toothpaste was such a big deal but it felt like the world was going to end if he couldn’t find it. 

As Mark turned to look in another drawer, Jinyoung stopped him and held Mark to his chest. Mark tried to weasel his way out of the embrace. Red lights were flashing and all he could think about was that he had to leave, that he was going to be late and Mark couldn’t handle fucking up again. He whined, “Stop, I don’t have time for this right now.”

But Jinyoung didn’t budge.

“Seriously, I’m already late I have to go! Let go of me!” But there wasn’t any threat to his voice. He sounded like he was about to cry and it made Mark even more upset that he wasn’t being taken seriously.

When Jinyoung didn’t say anything back and instead just kissed his temple, Mark’s frustration simmered. And all of the worry that had built up inside him came rising to the surface. As he felt the wetness on his cheeks, Mark leaned into Jinyoung. His boyfriend only held him closer, rubbed his back and said, “It’s okay, baby. It’s all going to be okay.”

“You don’t even know what’s wrong,” Mark replied, feeling kind of bad that he was crying on to his boyfriend’s bare chest. 

Jinyoung started to say something like, ‘It doesn’t matter’ but Mark couldn’t hear such a blatant lie. It did matter, it really really mattered. He shook his head, interrupting his boyfriend with, “We got found out.”

He felt the arms around him stiffen and then heard Jinyoung’s shocked voice, “How?”

Mark shrugged and let his eyes lift to look up at his boyfriend, “I don’t even know but I’m supposed to be at my label’s office in an hour to discuss my options, whatever that means.”

He sniffed as he looked back down and Jinyoung wiped away his tears. A thought passed through his head and Mark looked up at his boyfriend with big, glossy eyes, “What if they make me leave the band?”

“They wouldn’t make you leave, love,” Jinyoung said softly as he cupped Mark’s damp cheek. “You’re the most popular member anyways, your label would be dumb to force you out.”

“But I won’t be after this,” Mark said, another set of tears spilled over. Jinyoung was quick to grab a soft towel from the counter and dry them up. “The band will be tainted once everyone knows I’m gay---” His eyes widened and then forced themselves shut as he remembered something, “and the album! Oh fuck, the album is supposed to come out next week. I-I’ve ruined everything.”

He saw Jinyoung shake his head and smile warmly at him, “No you didn’t, babe. You didn’t do anything but love me and there’s nothing wrong with being in love. There will be people who can’t see it that way, but that’s their burden to bare. Not yours.”

“But it is my burden because now I’ve hurt my best friends’ careers. This is our best album yet and no one will care about it because of me,” Mark said. He felt dejected and he still didn’t know what he did that led to all of this. He didn’t think that him and Jinyoung had been as careful as they probably should have been, but everything seemed to be okay up to now. 

Jinyoung didn’t say anything and Mark thought it was because he didn’t know what to say. Mark knew that Jinyoung didn’t care about being outed, Jinyoung had made that clear on numerous occasions, but he didn’t understand how Jinyoung was so calm about this. So he asked him.

And his boyfriend just shrugged, “Because at the end of the day, I’ll still have you. And to me, that’s the most important.”

Mark smiled for the first time that morning and thought how Jinyoung’s unwavered confidence was endearing. So many things could change after Mark’s meeting, but he even then he had every intention of coming back home to Jinyoung. He wrapped his arms around Jinyoung for a hug, “You’re right, you’ll still have me.”

“I know, baby.” Mark felt a kiss pressed to his hair and smiled even more. In that little moment, the outside world was forgotten. “Finish up getting ready, okay? I’m gonna go put on some clothes so I can drive you there.”

“I can drive myself,” Mark said, not wanting to ruin his boyfriend’s morning. 

Jinyoung smiled as he walked out of the bathroom, “Yeah, I know. But I want to.”

 

As Jinyoung left the parking garage, Mark finally opened his phone. He saw he had some messages from his band but decided to look at them later. Mark just wanted to know what happened.

He typed their names into google and immediately articles came up. He scrolled through a few and sighed. His whole phone screen was filled with ‘Actor Park Jinyoung and Ruby Atlas’s Mark Tuan Caught Dating’ ‘Is Ruby Atlas’ Mark Tuan Dating...A Man?’ ‘Park Jinyoung Might Have a Boyfriend, Find Out Who He Is.’ 

He frowned when he saw how everyone put Ruby Atlas before his name but most just called Jinyoung by his name, no precursor needed. But that was to expected. He always knew that he was the one reaching in this relationship anyways. Mark eventually clicked on one titled, ‘Park Jinyoung and Ruby Atlas’s Mark Tuan Are Dating, See How Everyone Figured It Out.’

And then he groaned when the first thing he saw were screenshots of the stupid keychain comments. Apparently people weren’t satisfied in thinking that maybe him and Jinyoung had similar keychains. Fans then went to go find photos of Jinyoung holding his keys and found just how many had that same keychain in the picture. Then, because that wasn’t enough, they tried to zoom in on the keychain to figure out what is was. 

Some fans were wondering if it was a new trend or something because Jinyoung and Mark both had it. But instead what they found was that the keychain had Mark’s name on it. 

After a lot of screenshots of fans freaking out online, some fans started looking at the pictures that people had been posting about the keychains and noticed that Mark and Jinyoung were wearing eerily similar clothes. In one of the zoomed in photos comparing the keychains, a fan noticed that on the pink hoodie Jinyoung was wearing, there was a stain on the sleeve.

Mark mentally cursed himself. His pink hoodie was his favorite hoodie and he had made it really clear to his fans. One time right before an interview, Jackson split soda on it. Luckily the stan wasn’t too big and Mark kept wearing the hoodie but during the interview he made a big deal about it. He remembered all the “rip mark’s pink hoodie” comments that flooded his instagram that day. 

So naturally, the sighting of this stain caused an even bigger uproar. Some fans weren’t entirely convinced with the car and the keychain, but once they saw the stained pink hoodie everything went downhill. People started connecting the dots between Mark’s social media posts and sightings of Jinyoung. 

They connected Mark’s photos at the LACMA with someone’s post about seeing Jinyoung walk by them there on the same day. Mark saw pictures of the both of them separately visiting their favorite sushi restaurant wearing the same shirt a few times. 

And then what really set people off was finding the girls who spotted Jinyoung in Paris’s post about being surprised that Jinyoung in France at all. And with the fact that Mark played a show the night before in the same city that Jinyoung was found in, the fans online had no problem connecting that to Mark’s weird behavior at the Paris show. 

Everything but actually seeing Mark and Jinyoung together had been found. It was either indisputable evidence or a long string of perfect coincidences. After Mark groaned, Jinyoung asked, “What babe?”

“They caught us,” Mark sighed and his boyfriend squeezed his hand.

“Yeah I got that much,” Jinyoung teased and Mark couldn’t help but crack a small smile at his boyfriend.

“I mean like they really caught us,” Mark emphasised. “Fans even found posts about seeing you at the LACMA for our first date. They went that far back.”

“And what prompted them to do that?” Jinyoung asked, confused.

Mark moved their clasped hands and touched the infamous keychain that dangled from Jinyoung’s car key, “This.”

He saw Jinyoung get even more confused so Mark said, “I was recognised by some fans and there was paparazzi because where aren’t there in LA?” He bitterly smiled and then continued, “When me and Jackson got lunch yesterday and I guess the photos prompted people to notice how our cars are really similar and how we even have the same keychain. It all just snowballed from there.”

“Damn,” Jinyoung said. “I didn’t think anyone even paid attention to keys or else I wouldn’t have used your keychain. I’m sorry, baby.”

But Mark shook his head, “It’s not your fault. It took fans like four months to realize what your keychain said so it’s my fault for driving in downtown LA with a brand new car that would attract attention to me.”

“It’s not anyone’s fault, people drive cars like this all the time here,” Jinyoung said and he seemed like he meant it. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, love.”

 

Eventually they arrived. Mark looked out the window to his ominous and shaky future and sighed. He felt Jinyoung squeeze his hand to get his attention and looked over. As he did, Jinyoung cupped his face with another hand, “Whatever happens in there, just know that I love you.”

Mark leaned into Jinyoung’s palm, feeling the warmth with a soft smile and said, “I know, I love you too.”

“Text me when it’s over and I’ll pick you up,” Jinyoung said as he leaned in and kissed Mark gently.

When Jinyoung leaned back, Mark felt him card through his hair one last time. His boyfriend was always touchy with him, but Mark savoured the familiar gestures before stepping out onto the pavement. 

 

After Jinyoung watched his boyfriend nervously enter the building, his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and unsurprisingly saw that Alex was calling. He answered with, “Yes, I saw.”

“Not even a hello?” He could practically see Alex’s raised eyebrows.

“I just figured that was why you were calling, and a little late I might add. I just dropped Mark off at his label,” Jinyoung sighed. It was hard seeing Mark so upset.

“How’s he doing since the news broke?” Alex asked cautiously.

Jinyoung bit the inside of his lip and said, “He’s scared shitless. He thinks this will ruin his career.”

He heard Alex sighed, “Well in all fairness, it might.”

“I think it’ll be okay,” Jinyoung replied as he sat back in the seat of his car. His eyes mindlessly roamed around his surroundings.

“Are you saying that because you want it to be true or because you actually think so?” Alex asked inquisitively.

“A little of both,” Jinyoung confirmed. “I’ve seen the way his fans go crazy for him, it’s hard to believe they’d leave him over this.”

“Teenage girls hold grudges,” Alex laughed and Jinyoung felt himself frowning. “How has this affected the two of you?”

Jinyoung narrowed his eyes at this question, “It hasn’t.”

“Are you sure? He’s not resentful towards you at all?” Jinyoung said no, confused of why Alex would even ask him that. His manager quietly said, “Then give it time. If everything goes south, who do you think he’ll blame first? You.”

Jinyoung heard the words that Alex said but couldn’t even process them. Mark wouldn’t do that, would he? Just before he left, Mark was already trying to put the blame on himself. He wouldn’t turn against Jinyoung for this… would he?

But Jinyoung shook his head, he couldn’t believe such a thing. “No he wouldn’t.”

He heard Alex sigh and then said, “Then don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“What about me? How has this affected my image so far?” Jinyoung asked, his curiosity growing and the want to change the subject even more pressing.

“Hmm,” Alex thought for a second. “Everything seems to be on hold until we confirm or deny the rumors. That’s actually why I called. Which do you want to do?”

In all honesty, Jinyoung wanted to confirm them. He wanted to take Mark out on public dates and not have to wear a hat. He wanted to kiss him in broad daylight. To hold Mark’s hand wherever they went. Sure, it would probably be annoying at first to have the public be interested in their relationship but after a while him and Mark would become old news. He longed for those days. 

But at the same time, he didn’t know what Mark wanted. He didn’t know what options Mark would be given and he didn’t want to mess everything up for his boyfriend by confirming the rumors too soon. So instead, Jinyoung said, “I want to hold off on doing anything until I hear from Mark. He’s in a meeting right now discussing everything.”

“We can’t wait too long on this, I’m already getting pressure from your agency. So tell me as soon you two have talked,” Alex said, sounding a little irritated. Which Jinyoung understood, but him and Mark were partners, they were a team. It was important to Jinyoung that they were on the same page as one another. 

 

Mark was nervous as he walked down the hall. Zack texted him saying which room Mark was supposed to go to and Mark’s eyes widened after seeing it was Mr. Lee’s office. He never met Mr. Lee unless they were reviewing albums or if they fucked up big time. Luckily he hadn’t seen him yet for the latter, but that didn’t really make Mark feel any better.

When he got to the office, Mark’s hand hovered over the handle for a few second too long as he tried to psych himself up enough to turn it. After taking a deep breath, Mark opened the door. He saw Megan and their CEO looking at him with grave expressions. He awkwardly waved and Mr. Lee motioned for him to sit down.

He watched Mr. Lee sigh and lean forward with his fingers intertwined, setting them on the desk in front of him. In a grim voice, Mr. Lee said, “I assume you know why you’re here?”

“Yes,” Mark nodded with his eyes lowered. He was having trouble meeting his CEO’s eyes and was sure that wasn’t making his situation any better.

“I just have to ask to make sure: what is your relation to Park Jinyoung?” Mr. Lee asked. His eyes looked stern but Mark saw a little bit of hopefulness within them.

“He’s my boyfriend,” Mark said with a hint of sadness. He knew that if this was all just speculation and there was nothing to back up the allegations, that everything would be fixed easily. Maybe not easily, but it would surely be better than this.

He watched as that glimmer of hope died in Mr. Lee’s eyes. Mark saw Megan’s lips move into a straight line as if she was silently saying, ‘I told you so.’

“And how serious is that relationship?” Mr. Lee asked. He didn’t exactly look happy to ask this question.

“Very,,” Mark replied. His lips turned up at the corner into a small smile. “In fact, we just moved in together.” 

He saw Megan’s surprised eyes and then her grin before she composed it into a serious expression. Mark’s smile grew a tiny bit bigger knowing that she approved. 

But his CEO’s expression just kept getting worse. Mr. Lee sighed again and said, “Alright, well there are three options and judging from what you just told me, you probably won’t be a fan of one.”

Mark nodded, he expected the option that Mr. Lee was talking about. Or at least, he had speculated about it.

“First option: you break up with Jinyoung. We get him and his agency to sign a contract to never mention you or to hint at your previous relationship ever and then proceed to do clean up work to make all of the evidence online look fake.” 

Mark winced at even the thought of doing that and Mr. Lee saw and then said, “I assumed that would be your response so, option two is you don’t break up but we do everything I just stated and you are to never interact with Jinyoung where others could see you. I know Megan gave you a long leash and but I wouldn’t even put you on a leash. There would be absolutely zero freedom because after we clean this mess up, you could never step a toe out of line again. Having you be found out twice would severely damage your reputation and ours.”

Mr. Lee’s words were stern and made the room feel heavy. Mark felt himself slowly retreating in his chair as a result. He didn’t even know what would happen if they were found out twice. He assumed that he wouldn't be given options at that meeting, if there even was one. Mark imagined a really short, yet passive aggressive email that would surely inform him of his terminated his contract and shivered.

“Your last option is to confirm the rumors. If you and your boyfriend are as serious as you say, this is your best option. But if you have any doubt in your relationship, any at all, I would choose one of the first options because public breakups are very messy. And depending on the way Jinyoung handles the breakup, it could taint not only your image but the band’s,” Mr. Lee put a large emphasis on his words and Mark understood that this wasn’t exactly going to be a walk in the park. 

“What would option three entail?” He asked hesitantly and Megan stepped in.

“Basically I would put you guys in the limelight as much as possible in attempt to get the public’s approval. Lots of interviews, photoshoots, maybe some late night show appearances. We would also need the band to be on board too. They would have to talk highly of you two. If there is any negativity surrounding your relationship, it could be detrimental,” She explained.

Mark let his head wrap around everything before saying, “The guys are definitely fine about me and Jinyoung, so that’s not a problem. And I don’t think Jinyoung would mind anything you just said, he does that stuff all the time.”

“Yeah, thank god you decided to date one of the most loved actors in hollywood,” Megan joked and even Mr. Lee cracked a smile.

“But what would me coming out do to the band?” Mark asked nervously. At the end of the day, he wanted to minimize the burden on them as much as possible. 

Mr. Lee turned to Megan to answer this question. She sighed and said, “It’s honestly a toss up. We’ll make sure you get a lot of media attention and spin the story positively but people will still have their opinions. On one hand, gay musicians aren’t as big of a minority as they used to be and you’ll gain a strong lgbt following. But on the other, we’ve marketed you heavily towards women. So you’ll lose a chunk of fans, I can’t say how big that chunk will be but I’m positive it’ll happen.”

Mark chewed on his bottom lip and played with the hem of shit shirt, frowning. 

“There is kind of a middle ground there, though.” And Mark looked up in question.

Megan cautiously said, “You could say that you’re bisexual in attempts to not lose nearly as many fans and to keep ticket and album sales up.”

So many red flags popped up in Mark’s mind and he immediately shook his head, “Absolutely not.”

Mark lied to fans for years about his sexuality, he didn’t want to lie to them anymore if he didn’t have to.

“But you must understand that this would be the best option for the band,” Mr. Lee said, attempted to sway him. “If you want to put the least amount of pressure on your friends…”

Mark frowned, trying to keep himself from shooting daggers at his CEO, “If you want a bisexual icon, ask Jackson.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Mark saw Megan attempting not to smile. But Mr. Lee was sighing, looking like he was losing patience. 

“What is your priority here? Your boyfriend or your band?” Mr. Lee asked, his tone less kind than before.

Mark opened his mouth but nothing came out. He almost said his band but something stopped him, and for that he felt ashamed. Was Mark really thinking that Jinyoung was more important than his friends? His friends that had been with him through thick and thin? Who have supported him all this time? 

He remembered Lisa’s disapproving words and it made feel him feel worse. He only knew Jinyoung for 7 months and yet Mark let himself get lost in him. He never saw a reason not to. But right now a reason was staring him in the face. 

If he denied the rumors, everything would be fine and it would just be something that fans laughed about later on. But if he didn’t, all of his worst nightmares could could true. Mark could be the reason for his band’s downfall. 

But at the same time, he knew that Jinyoung wanted so badly to let the world know that Mark was his. And Mark wanted that too, to a certain extent. He wanted to be able to openly date Jinyoung and act like a normal couple in public. But he didn’t want all the consequences that came with it. 

Mark felt his heart flutter at the thought of Jinyoung and he knew a soft smile bloomed across his lips. Jinyoung, the love of his life. Jinyoung, the man who made sacrifices for him and tried his hardest to make Mark happy. Jinyoung hassled his manager and directors for time off to be with Mark on more than one occasion. He gave up an hour sometimes more of sleep just to drive Mark home with him because Mark complained about not seeing him enough. What had Mark done for him? 

All he did was take in their relationship, he never gave. Everything was always about him. Mark felt worse than he did a few moments ago. But his head felt clearer.

“Both. They’re both my priority,” Mark said, nodding to himself. “But I want to confirm the rumors.”

The CEO looked a little agitated by this and asked, “So, option three then?”

Mark nodded more confidently, “Yes.”

“And you think Jinyoung will be okay about that?” Megan asked. Her eyes were calculating.

But Mark nodded, “He’ll be over the moon about it. Jinyoung never wanted to hide our relationship in the first place.”

Mr. Lee looked disappointed but Megan seemed understanding. “Alright, we’ll start leaking news to the media. If you wanted to post a photo together to back up the confirmation articles, that would be smart.”

“Will do,” Mark said, already mentally going through all the photos he would want to post. 

 

Mark left the building and saw the familiar 911 by the curb and walked towards it. Although his decision was made, his thoughts were racing and his mind was still heavy. He felt like he made the right choice but he wasn’t excited about it yet, only worried. For right now, Mark just wanted to go home. Mark saw Jinyoung give him a once over, surveying Mark’s reaction as he got in the car. “How did it go?”

“Okay,” Mark said as he sluggishly put on his seatbelt. “I decided to confirm the rumors. I’m supposed to wait until the articles start being spread before posting something about it.”

Jinyoung was hesitant to reply, “Are you okay with it?”

After tugging on his bottom lip with his teeth and looking at his hands in his lap, Mark said, “I think it was the best choice but I’m still scared.”

In his left field of vision, he watched Jinyoung’s hand come and take one of his, lacing their fingers together. “Whatever you need, I’ll be here for you okay?”

His boyfriend’s voice was gentle and Mark appreciated the gesture. He looked over and saw how that gentleness had spread through all of Jinyoung’s features, but his eyes were as steady as melting ice. The corner of Mark’s lips lifted into a small smile and Mark asked quietly, “Then can you kiss me?”

Jinyoung’s eyes creased and he nodded, “I can definitely do that, my love.”

And he leaned over the center console, holding Mark’s face with his hand before he pressed his lips to Mark’s delicately. Mark kissed back, adding a little more pressure and feeling his lips turn into a full smile when Jinyoung ended the kiss. His boyfriend smiled back at him before nuzzling their noses and saying, “Let’s go home, baby.”

 

“Do you want something to eat?” Jinyoung asked as the passed by their kitchen hand in hand. 

Mark knew he was hungry, he had yet to eat anything that day. But he also couldn’t be bothered to eat. Mark just wanted to snuggle up to Jinyoung and forget about everything that happened since he woke up. It was barely afternoon but he didn’t want to think about or do anything for the rest of the day. So he shook his head and Mark saw the corners of Jinyoung’s lips fall.

He knew that his boyfriend was worried about him. Mark hadn’t said much since he left the meeting. He thought that Jinyoung picked up on the fact that he didn’t want to talk and didn’t attempt to make any conversation with him on the way home, which Mark appreciated. Instead, Jinyoung only held his hand. 

Occasionally, Jinyoung would tighten his grip on their clasped hands or rub his thumb across the back of Mark’s hand just to let Mark know that he was there and ready to listen if Mark needed. It was sweet and endearing and exactly what Mark needed. 

Usually when Mark was stressed, Jackson only left him alone after he pestered Mark to talk out his problems until Mark finally snapped at him. But somehow Jinyoung seemed to understand that Mark just didn’t want to talk, at least not yet.

“Did you want to watch something?” Jinyoung asked hesitantly. And it occurred to Mark that Jinyoung was here, at home. It was his day off, but Mark hadn’t thought it was Jinyoung’s too. 

“Wait, aren’t you filming today?” Mark asked, confused.

Jinyoung smiled softly, “Alex arranged for me to not film for a while. Being with you was more important.”

And there he was again, sacrificing something for Mark. It was upsetting. Mark’s eyes flitted down. “Oh.”

He felt Jinyoung’s hand loosen in his. He heard a weariness in Jinyoung’s voice, “Do you not want me here?”

Mark’s eyes snapped up to Jinyoung’s, wide and panicked. He never meant to make Jinyoung feel unwanted. He let go of his boyfriend’s hand and hugged Jinyoung’s torso tightly, shaking his head. “I want you here with me more than anything. All I want is to be with you right now, I just feel bad that my freak out made you prioritize me over work.”

He saw confusion flash through Jinyoung’s eyes and then his hair was being stroked gently, a small smile forming. “Babe, what you’ve been fearing came true today. You’re allowed to freak out. I don’t think anyone would expect me to go to set today acting like nothing happened.”

Although Mark wasn’t sure he agreed, he nodded. Jinyoung kissed his temple and asked again, “Now, do you want to watch something or not?”

Marked nodded again and went to Jinyoung’s side, taking his hand back in Jinyoung’s. He smiled when his boyfriend laid down in the vertical part of the L shaped couch because it meant that Mark got to cuddle up next to Jinyoung but still be able to see the tv. 

Jinyoung saw Mark watching him and lifted one of his arms as an invitation. Mark took it gladly, snuggling between the outstretched arm and his boyfriend’s side. He put an arm around Jinyoung’s middle and pulled himself closer as Jinyoung’s wrapped around him, securing him there like an anchor. 

He watched whatever Jinyoung put on for a little before letting the exhaustion of all the stress and worry that he felt lure him to sleep. Mark only woke up because his pocket was buzzing. His first instinct was to ignore it but after that morning, he decided to check who it was. When he saw ‘Mom’ across the screen, panic spread through his veins like electricity.

Jinyoung felt his change of demeanor and rubbed his arm, “You okay?”

Mark look at him with big, worried eyes and shook his head. Jinyoung’s lips parted as if he was going to ask something when Mark’s phone buzzed again. Reluctantly he answered the call, “Hi, mom.”

“Is it true?” His mother asked.

Usually he would quip a ‘hello to you too’ but Mark knew that wouldn’t be welcome. So instead he just said, “Yes.”

He assumed she was asking about Jinyoung, which meant the articles were out. That added another layer of panic.

And then Mark heard exactly what he expected to hear, “You’re dating someone and never told me? You’re dating Park Jinyoung and you never told me? Your own mother?”

As he squeezed his eyes shut, he mumbled ‘fuck’ under his breath and then said, “I forgot, I’m sorry.”

“How could you forget to tell me? Apparently you live with him, yet you never once mentioned him to me,” She said a little too harshly to be passive aggressive. Did Megan include that in the articles? That they live together? She must have confirmed it with Alex. 

“I’m sorry, okay? I just…,” He trailed off, his eyes darting to Jinyoung’s and then looking away quickly.

“You what? Didn’t want to tell your mother?” The edge in her voice made Mark frown.

“No I just...I didn’t want to say anything in case we broke up,” Mark admitted as he kept his eyes away from Jinyoung’s, not wanting to know how his boyfriend reacted. 

Mark kept putting off telling his mother because telling her meant that it was something real. If him and Jinyoung broke up then Mark knew that he would get scolded for letting Park Jinyoung go. And then Jinyoung would be forever known as the one who got away, a constant reminder to Mark.

“But if you moved in with him, then you must feel strongly for him,” Mark’s mom’s voice sounded softer than before.

“I do, Mom. I love him so much,” Mark felt himself being pulled back into Jinyoung’s arms and smiled.

“But he doesn’t feel the same?” Now his mom sounded suspicious and a little mad as if she was already shooting Jinyoung daggers for not loving her son.

“No, no! He does,” Mark tried to assure. The last thing he wanted was for his mom to not like Jinyoung. “I promise. He might even love me more than I love him.” 

He heard Jinyoung laugh and smiled up at him. Jinyoung leaned in and connected their lips for a chaste kiss, making Mark smile more.

“Is he there?” His mom asked and Mark nodded, only to realize that she couldn’t see him.

Before he could say anything, Jinyoung took Mark’s phone from him. He put it to his ear and said, “Hi Mrs. Tuan.”

“Hi, am I to assume this is Jinyoung?” Mark could hear his mom say.

Jinyoung nodded, “Yep.”

“Do you think you deserve him?” And Mark almost exclaimed ‘Mom!’ at that question. But Jinyoung was already on it.

“I hope so,” Jinyoung said with a thoughtful smile. “I am so entirely in love with your son that the thought of not being able to make him happy is painful. His happiness and safety are of utmost importance to me, I would do anything for him.”

Mark blushed as the words, touched by Jinyoung’s sentiments.

“I see,” She said. Mark couldn’t tell if that was good or bad. 

“I’m sorry that he hadn’t told you about me yet,” Jinyoung added and Mark frowned as if to say ‘don’t remind her!’ “If I would have known then I would have said something.”

He heard his mom smile through the phone as she said, “That’s very sweet of you, thank you for saying that.”

“Of course,” Jinyoung replied, his warm eyes on Mark who felt embarrassed for not telling him mom sooner. 

“Can you tell my son that he’s not off the hook yet and owes us a dinner to get to know his new boyfriend?” His mother said.

“Of course, Mrs. Tuan. How’s Sunday night? We’re both free then,” Jinyoung said. Mark blinked, surprised at his boyfriend taking so much initiative.

“That sounds just fine,” She replied and Mark’s eyes widened. How did they manage to make plans for Jinyoung to meet his parents with him sitting right there, not saying a word?

“Perfect, I can’t wait to meet the wonderful people who raised the love of my life,” Jinyoung said, stroking Mark’s hair. Mark narrowed his eyes at him.

They said their goodbyes and Mark frowned, “Wasn’t that laying it on a little thick?”

But Jinyoung ignored the question and instead asked his own, “You didn’t tell your parents about me?”

He sounded hurt and Mark again felt guilty. His eyelashes fluttered down and he said, “I’m sorry.”

“Did you really think we were going to break up?” Jinyoung asked. Mark could hear the worry seeping into his voice.

“I fell in love with you so much faster than I thought I would and I was worried she would tell me to be wary of you or that I was being reckless,” Mark tried to explain. “So I wanted to tell her about you once I thought it had been an acceptable amount of time together to be this in love.”

“And when would that be?” Jinyoung asked, a hint of a smile teasing at his lips.

Mark bit at his lips. His plan sounded so much sillier out loud. His eyes were facing down and then flickered up as he said, “I don’t know, now maybe?”

He saw Jinyoung raise an eyebrow at him and Mark said, “I guess with everything going on, I forgot. Speaking of, I don’t know if we’re free Sunday night. One of the things associated with coming out is public exposure. My label rep, Megan, is going to be sending me our schedule once she figures it out.”

Jinyoung pulled Mark onto his lap and Mark adjusted easily, albeit blinking a couple times at his boyfriend’s lack of response. He let Jinyoung hold him to his chest and card fingers through his hair as Jinyoung said, “I know love, Alex sent me the schedule while you were asleep. I’m sure you have it too.”

“Oh,” Mark said. Of course Jinyoung was on top of things. But wait, didn’t that mean that they really were out now? That the news really had broke? “Did you see the articles yet?”

His boyfriend shook his head. Mark should have expected that. Jinyoung seemed rather flippant about the whole thing anyways, he probably didn’t care about the reactions. But Mark did. He found his phone on the couch and moved back down next to Jinyoung. He saw how many messages he had had and cringed, deciding to read those later.

But he did pull up his band’s group chat and immediately felt bad for not telling them about his decision. He had simply forgotten and then fell asleep. He started from the top and read through all the unread messages and saw that they were mostly: ‘whoa what happened’ ‘what are you gonna do’ ‘are you okay?’ ‘wait you confirmed the rumor?’ ‘mark????’ with different articles sprinkled in here and there.

Mark texted back, _fuck im so sorry I forgot to tell you, I’ve had my messages on mute all day :( the ceo asked me to come in and gave me some options but since I didn’t want to break up with jinyoung I basically had to come out. I just woke up and haven’t seen the reactions yet but I hope you guys can forgive me :( :(_

He frowned and leaned his cheek on Jinyoung’s chest. His boyfriend asked, “What did they say?”

Since his phone was within Jinyoung’s line of sight, Mark assumed he meant the band. “Mostly just worried. I forgot to say anything to them, I feel really bad.”

He felt a kiss pressed into his hair and smiled. “It’s been a stressful day, love. I’m sure it’s okay.”

Replies started coming in and Mark looked down at his phone again.

_J: omg I was so worried about you, is everything okay??? don’t worry about us, we’re fine._

_B: yeah don’t worry it’s better they found out about you than any of us_

_Y: are you doing okay?_

Mark smiled at his best friends, happy that none of them were mad at him. It made him feel better that at least he didn’t have to worry about that. He typed back, im doing okay, jinyoung is taking care of me. but I haven’t checked the reactions, have you guys??

_J: dude you’re trending #1 twitter. Your ship name is markjin lol_

Mark’s jaw dropped and he went to twitter to check if it was true. As he did, he kept getting notifications from the group.

_Y: what would me and bam’s be?_

_J: Bamgyeom??_

_Y: thats a mouthful_

_B: just like you babe ;)_

Mark laughed out loud and found himself smiling, like really smiling, for the first time that day. He checked the search page and saw that they were really trending at #1. Twitter even made a highlight for them named ‘Actor Park Jinyoung and Ruby Atlas bassist Mark Tuan confirm dating rumors’. Mark was happy that at least twitter put actor in front of Jinyoung’s name, he felt somewhat on the same level as his boyfriend. 

He clicked on it and saw a tweet with a link to an article confirming the rumors as well as quoted tweets from fans. They were mostly full of shocked fans and judging from the usernames, they were fans of the band. But the tweets weren’t really anything of substance, just a lot of surprised emojis and ‘omg no way’ type of reactions. 

So he went into the tag and saw those same keychain photos as well as some screenshots of the articles confirming their relationship. But here at least Mark saw people talking about it: ‘mark tuan is gay?????????’ ‘I can’t believe mark is dating someone who am I gonna pretend is my boyfriend is now’ ‘jinyoung is a damn good actor, the guy had me thinking he was straight all this time’ ‘wait so the new song from paris really was about jinyoung? thats so cute wtf.’ ‘ok but but is jinyoung still into girls because if him and mark break up I’m trying to be next in line.’

Mark smiled as he scrolled. They all seemed to either be about the revelation that neither he or Jinyoung were straight or fans complaining about their chances to date them became slim. He even laughed at a few funny ones and scrolled past the ones using slurs against him.

‘I guess they’re dating but why haven’t we ever seen them together’ stopped Mark’s scrolling. He forgot to post something. 

Mark glanced up and saw Jinyoung already looking down at him, “Babe.”

“Hm?” Jinyoung said, seeing the mild panic in Mark’s features. “What’s wrong?”

Mark had been laying next to Jinyoung, wedged inbetween his boyfriend’s arm and his side, leaning against the back cushion of the couch. He turned to face Jinyoung and said, “I forgot that I was supposed to post a photo.”

His boyfriend didn’t really seem to get what Mark’s alarm was for, “Then do it now. I’ll post something too.”

While Mark meticulously looked through his phone of all the photos that he never thought anyone would see, Jinyoung had already moved on to flipping through netflix to find something new to watch. Mark had settled on a few photos when he noticed this. It made him frown. Mark knew that Jinyoung didn’t care as much but he could at least do this. “Babe I thought you were going to do it too.”

Jinyoung looked at him with a light smile, “I already did.”

Mark’s jaw dropped, “You did? How?”

Jinyoung picked up his phone and acted like he was showing this to Mark for the first time. With a salesperson like voice, he said, “Well first I opened up instagram and then I chose the photo I wanted and then I...” 

And Mark was already frowning. He snuggled his way back into Jinyoung’s side, paying no attention to Jinyoung’s bad dad joke. With his cheek against Jinyoung’s chest he sarcastically asked, “Why am I dating you?”

“You say this but then get closer to me, doesn’t that seem a little contradictory to you?” Jinyoung joked back. Mark could hear the smile in his boyfriend’s voice and smiled himself.

“You’re lucky you’re so warm, okay?” Mark replied as he started typing his caption. His threat having no impact. 

He felt the soft rumble of Jinyoung’s laugh and a hand curling over his side, “Oh is that my only redeeming quality? I could have sworn I had others.”

“Nope,” Mark’s lips made a popping sound on the ‘p’. “Just the warmth.”

“Hmm, because there’s this song, I don’t know if you’ve heard it but their bassist wrote it about me and he clearly said that my smile was also his favorite thing about me,” Jinyoung teased, his grin seeping into his words the longer he talked. “So I kind of feel like you might be wrong? Feel free to correct me though.”

Mark’s fingers stilled and his cheeks tinted pink. He always felt embarrassed when Jinyoung quoted his lyrics back to him. In a monotone voice, he replied, “I hate you.”

“Oh bummer,” Jinyoung pretended to be affected by Mark’s words. “I really thought we had something going.”

Groaning, Mark pushed at Jinyoung’s chest with a grin, “Shut up, oh my god. I love you, okay? All of you, dumb jokes included.”

Jinyoung pulled him onto his chest again with a winning smile, their noses just barely touching. Mark couldn’t stop smiling. Jinyoung’s hand went to the side of his face, “I love you too, baby.”

Mark leaned in a little further to press his lips into his boyfriend’s. His kiss was responded to with soft, slow movements and Mark’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t imagine giving this up this morning. The thought of missing Jinyoung’s ever thoughtful gestures and quick comebacks sounded like hell. Mark’s heart was so attached to Jinyoung, he didn’t think he would ever be able to get over it if he lost him. 

“And what do you mean dumb jokes? I have great jokes,” Jinyoung defended.

Mark laughed, his grin reappearing. “Whatever.”

His boyfriend side eyed him but still kissed Mark again. 

When their kiss ended naturally, Jinyoung asked, “Did you want to go out to dinner tonight, love?”

Mark felt wary of this suggestion but then realized he didn’t have to. “Can we go to that place we always wanted to go to but couldn’t because someone would recognize us?”

His boyfriend smiled, amused, and said, “Baby, that describes most restaurants in LA.”

“The italian restaurant by the boba place,” Mark said after rolling his eyes. He couldn’t remember it’s name but he figured that would help jog Jinyoung’s memory.

“Oh the one with the sauce that Jackson was raving about?” Mark nodded happily. Now that he was awake and feeling better, he realized just how hungry he was. “Okay, do you wanna get ready and then leave in 10?”

Mark appreciated his boyfriend so much but he couldn’t help but say, “But 10 minutes isn’t much time to makeout.”

“Love of my life, do you really think I don’t know by now?” Jinyoung asked as his hand went up Mark’s shirt, feeling the warm skin of Mark’s back. “Kissing was a part of the getting ready, the 10 minutes is for actually leaving the house.” 

Mark grinned wider and leaned in. Just before their lips touched, he sighed happily, “Fuck, I love you.”

 

Jinyoung was driving them to the restaurant a little later than earlier anticipated because their makeout session went on for longer than expected.

But either way, they were in the car now. After reading and rereading the caption of his instagram post again and again, Mark finally posted four photos of them together. They were taken all across the span of their relationship. There was one from Jinyoung’s sister’s wedding that Eunji had taken of them, another from when Mark made Jinyoung lady and the tramp spaghetti with him (Jinyoung’s smiling face in this one was enough to make Mark’s heart stop beating), a selfie from Hawaii and the polaroid from Paris. To him, it felt like a perfect ‘here’s my boyfriend!’ post. 

He got curious and went over to Jinyoung’s account. He hit the ‘follow back’ button since Mark had freaked out early on in their relationship and told Jinyoung that they couldn’t follow eachother on social media because the fans were mini detectives. It felt nice to finally not have to worry about that. And then he saw the latest post. 

It was a picture that Alex took of them on the beach behind their place in Hawaii. They were both shirtless with their hair wet from coming out of the water when Alex found them. Mark was on Jinyoung’s back, his arms around Jinyoung’s neck. He was looking at the camera with a big smile and Jinyoung was looking up at him as if Mark was the only thing that mattered in the world. The caption simply said ‘love of my life’ and a sun emoji. Mark smiled when he knew that most people would take that as a reference to them being in Hawaii, but Mark knew it was an ode to him. 

Mark felt his heart swell and he commented, ‘I love you’ with planet emojis next to it. He hoped Jinyoung would see it later. 

Soon the car pulled up to a curb and Mark looked up and saw that they were in front of the restaurant. 

“You’re parking here?” Mark asked as Jinyoung turned the car off and undid his seatbelt.

His boyfriend nodded with a shrug, “Why not? We have nothing to hide now.”

Mark followed him out of the car and Jinyoung took his hand. Mark knew that others could see him and the residual feeling of anxiousness came back before he reminded himself that nothing bad could happen. The worst part was over and he had to just let the pieces fall where they may.

It was weird walking into the restaurant and knowing that he was recognised immediately. Usually Mark tried to avoid this type of situation as much as possible because it felt awkward having people turn to look at him when all he was doing was standing there, holding his boyfriend’s hand. 

Jinyoung had been requesting a table when Mark heard the hostess say, “Oh my god it really does say Mark.”

Mark heard his name and saw that Jinyoung had put the car keys on the hostess podium without thinking. He felt his cheeks tint as Jinyoung smiled and picked them up to show her, “Oh yeah, my cute boyfriend bought it for me in Hawaii.” 

“He bought you a keychain with his name on it?” She asked, her eyes shifting over to Mark’s and then back to Jinyoung shyly as if she wondered if asking was too much. 

But Jinyoung only laughed and said, “That’s what I said too!”

“It’s supposed to be sentimental,” Mark grumbled and Jinyoung kissed his cheek. 

“It is babe, I promise,” Jinyoung replied and Mark’s cheeks got warmer.

Another hostess showed up and brought them to their table. As they were walking, Mark said, “You’ve been dying to to call me babe in public, haven’t you?”

“Maybe just a little bit,” Jinyoung admitted, squeezing Mark’s hand. 

As they sat at their table across from each other, Mark felt a lot of eyes on him. He put his elbow on the table and his chin rested in his palm. Jinyoung hand reached to meet Mark’s on the table, taking a couple of Mark’s fingers into his. Mark said, “Well now you can be affectionate as you want and there’s nothing I can do to stop you.”

The fingers holding his stilled and Jinyoung asked, “Do you not like it?”

Mark smiled and tightened his grasp on Jinyoung’s fingers, “If I didn’t like being drowned in affection, I wouldn’t be dating you.”

“I drown you?” Jinyoung raised his eyebrow in question.

Shaking his head, Mark said, “I didn’t mean it negatively. I like it.”

“Good,” Jinyoung moved his hand to rub over one of Mark’s knuckles and Mark’s heart felt content. 

He smiled and looked down at his menu. 

 

That night, Mark checked twitter and saw that they were still trending. A part of Mark felt smug and the other part was surprised that people cared this much. He checked the tag to see if anything had changed from the original mostly positive tweets. And at the top there was a video taken at the restaurant they had just ate at. He tapped on it to see what him and Jinyoung had been doing.

It was of the two of them eating. They were still holding hands and Jinyoung lifted his fork with a bite of food on it. The video was taken from over Jinyoung’s shoulder, so Mark’s eyes lighting up at the food was clearly visible, as was his happy smile as he chewed. In the video, Mark looked down at his food and then fed Jinyoung back. Mark’s smile turned loving as he watched Jinyoung eat off his fork. He read his own lips and knew that he said, ‘It’s good, right?’ Jinyoung had nodded and Mark smiled even wider.

The caption was ‘ok #markjin are the cutest couple ever. every other couple: canceled.’ And it had thousands of retweets. Mark smiled and felt Jinyoung’s chin on his shoulder. “What are you looking at, baby?”

“Someone recorded us at the restaurant,” Mark said and let Jinyoung see the video too. 

He felt a kiss pressed into his shoulder and Jinyoung said, “You are pretty cute.”

“You’re cuter,” Mark said without thinking and felt Jinyoung shake his head. 

Mark put his phone down and looked over, reaching up behind him to hold Jinyoung’s cheek. 

“Babe,” He complained, drawing out the syllables.

But Jinyoung smiled and leaned in for a kiss. “You’re definitely cuter.”

Mark went to protest and Jinyoung kissed him quiet, drawing out the kiss so that Mark would forget about what he was going to say. “We have an early schedule tomorrow, let’s go to bed?”

“Okay,” Mark smiled. He didn’t feel as anxious about everything as he did. In fact, he was almost excited about doing schedules with Jinyoung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **important question time!**
> 
>  
> 
> I just want to know how you want me to continue this fic. and please don't say that you don't want it to end because realistically, it has to. I just need to know how much detail you want to see of their life now. I have some things planned out and the epilogue is already set but it's just the in between of now and then that I am asking about. 
> 
> please let me know~


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait!! it's been officially one month since I've last updated oops.
> 
> originally I wanted to completely finish this fic before posting anything but then I got too eager. so here I am lolol but this chapter is way longer than I expected it to be so I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> (also I wanted feeling this to get to 300 kudos before I updated but alas... that did not happen ☹) 
> 
> ps. there's a reference to a previous fic of mine. see if you can find it ;)

Mark woke up to pillowy darkness. His alarm was going off and his arm shot out to reach for the source of the loud vibrations. When his hand wasn’t finding anything, Mark turned around reluctantly and tapped the screen of his phone with more or less accuracy. After the alarm finally stopped, he moved back to Jinyoung who in the process woke up as well. 

Unlike usual where Mark would tuck himself under Jinyoung’s chin and let himself be engulfed by his boyfriend’s arms, instead Mark put his head on Jinyoung’s pillow and faced his boyfriend. With tired but warm eyes, Jinyoung looked at him. The gaze already put a smile on Mark’s face but the soft touch of his boyfriend’s hand on the side of his face had his heart skipping a beat.

He felt Jinyoung’s thumb resting on his cheek, slowly swiping over his skin. That coupled with the look that his boyfriend gave him made Mark feel so loved. The day before, Mark awoke panicked and upset but this day Mark woke up loved and content. Before he knew it, Jinyoung’s lips were on his, pulling his closer.

Mark’s hand went to the back of Jinyoung’s neck as they kissed deeper. It wasn’t anything major, just lips moving against lips. Just a prolonged good morning kiss that had Mark feeling warm and lazy. 

His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he could see Jinyoung’s features when Mark opened his eyes after pulling away seamlessly from the kiss. It was too early for the sun to be out yet. Too early for it to be peaking between buildings, shining it’s glowing rays over the cityscape of LA. 

Mark’s hand was still on Jinyoung’s neck and Jinyoung’s hand was still on Mark’s cheek. Their faces were barely an inch apart as they laid there, sharing the same pillow. His boyfriend moved forward to nuzzle Mark’s nose and say, “Are you ready for today?”

The corner of Mark’s lips turned down as he considered this question. On one hand he was, and he was excited about it. On the other, Mark still felt anxious about the whole thing. If he did or said something wrong then would people’s positive responses to them turn sour? 

“I’m not sure,” Mark replied. “But I’m glad I’m with you.”

Jinyoung’s gaze softened further and Mark was happy. Things weren’t going to be easy from there on out, but at least he would have Jinyoung to fall back on. His boyfriend stole another kiss before saying, “Me too. I’m actually excited to go to work with you. Everyday we split up to go to our separate jobs but today we’re together.”

 

Their first schedule was a photoshoot. Mark and Jinyoung walked into a warehouse with people going back and forth bringing things in and out of rooms. They got directed to getting their hair and makeup done and Mark was kind of sad to let go of Jinyoung’s hand. It felt like a lifesaver in these uncharted waters.

He had done photoshoots many times before but this time the main focus wasn’t him nor his band, it was him and Jinyoung together as a couple. He was asked to feign interest in models or products before but he was never encouraged to bring out his real romantic interest in someone and showcase it clearly. He wasn’t exactly sure what to express and what to not. 

Alex came in as Mark’s face was being patted with powder and Mark felt relieved to see him. Alex would at least provide some sort of guidance. The manager gave Jinyoung his coffee and handed Mark his iced mocha. Mark felt thankful for Alex’s generosity because he was technically only responsible for Jinyoung. 

“How are you two feeling?” Alex asked, leaning on the counter between them. “Mark, I know Jinyoung said you were nervous on coming out.”

Mark bit the inside of his cheek and said, “Yeah, I would have rather not done it but it seemed like the best option and it makes Jinyoung happy so…”

“You only did it for Jinyoung?” Alex asked, sipping his own coffee.

Blinking, Mark’s lips parted. “N-No. I did it because I didn’t want to hide our relationship even more than we already were or lose him. Jinyoung wanting to come out was just an extra push.”

“I see,” Alex nodded slowly. “Well, the stunt you pulled yesterday was perfect. Your fans ate that shit up.”

Mark didn’t follow, “What stunt?”

“Acting all cute at the restaurant, being super touchy, you know all that,” Alex said like it was super clear.

“But...that wasn’t a stunt. That’s how we always are,” Mark said, confused. Alex had been around them long enough that he had to know by now that Jinyoung would take any opportunity to call Mark pet names and touch him. 

Alex’s eyes flashed, “Exactly. That’s how you guys need to be for all these activities. Make the public fall in love with your relationship. Make them envy it. Jinyoung treats you like a goddamn prince and you look at him like he’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in your life. Keep that shit up and you’ll have the public eating out of your hand in no time.”

“Babe, if I’m your prince then what does that make you?” Mark asked, looking towards his boyfriend. Jinyoung was getting his fringe styled into a comma look and Mark felt like his heart were going to fall out of his chest.

“Hmm, another prince, I guess?” Jinyoung thought, his eyes drifting to the corner of the room. He turned back to see Mark’s reaction and grinned. “What, baby? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Mark’s mouth was gaping and he sighed with soft eyes, “I’m the luckiest man in the world, holy shit.”

His boyfriend’s eyebrow raised and Jinyoung’s smile got bigger, “What are you talking about, love?”

“You,” Mark said, sinking into his chair. He could feel his heart melting at his boyfriend’s handsomeness. “You’re just...wow. I mean how do you even exist? You’re like a god. And somehow you’re mine?”

Jinyoung looked pretty amused as he said, “How do you think I feel being next to you all the time? I mean do you see yourself right now? You’re so gorgeous, it’s unreal.”

Mark felt himself blush and his eyelashes fluttered down and then back up to meet Jinyoung’s gaze. 

“See? This type of thing. This is what they want. I have to stand witness to how mushy gushy you two are all the time, so give me a break and save this for the camera,” Alex said with an eyeroll.

Jinyoung’s eyes went from Alex back to Mark, a smirk growing, “Why would I save it for the camera when I can make you uncomfortable and make Mark blush at the same time? Hm? Just look at how absolutely breathtaking my boyfriend is. And all mine.”

As if on cue, Mark felt his smile grow and his veins course with pride, “All yours.”

He saw his boyfriend reach out and then frown, “You’re too far away to kiss, but just know that I would if I could.”

Alex rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue, “Alright I’m out. I’m going to go talk with the photographer.”

“Bye Alex,” Jinyoung said with a wide smile. 

 

They got brought onto set by a staff member. It was just a big room with a white backdrop. The stylists and makeup artists stood idly by as the photographer motioned where Mark and Jinyoung should stand. 

“I’m just going to do some test shots, you can do whatever for now,” He said, changing some settings on his camera. 

The two had been standing next to each other until Mark faced Jinyoung. He slid his hands up to Jinyoung’s chest, one resting on Jinyoung’s shoulder, “What do you want for lunch today?”

“Lunch?” Jinyoung asked, his eyes bright with adoration. His hands went straight to Mark, wrapping around Mark’s middle. “Love of my life, we just had breakfast.”

“Yeah well, we didn’t have waffles and whipped cream so clearly it was forgettable,” Mark quipped slyly.

Jinyoung laughed, his lips stretching into a grin. “Why do I feel like I’m going to go bankrupt buying waffle mix for you?”

“Because you will,,” Mark said, emphasising his words and accenting it with a blinding smile. “If you can’t keep me full with my favorite breakfast food, then honestly why am I even sticking around?”

“Oh you’re absolutely right, this relationship could really only go down from here,” Jinyoung played along. Their faces had gradually gotten closer but Mark didn’t do anything. He just kept smiling.

“We obviously peaked months ago, what’s the point of even trying now?” Mark said, their lips just inches apart. He naturally tilted his head just slightly, barely putting any thought into the fact that he was baiting Jinyoung to kiss him. 

“Seriously, I mean we should just break up,” Jinyoung leaned in just slightly so that the sides of their noses were touching.

“Deal,” Mark smiled. “But before we do, can you kiss me for like a million years? And then maybe promise to never leave my side?”

Jinyoung raised a hand to touch Mark’s cheek softly, “So I guess I’ll just break up with you when we’ve both been dead for centuries?”

“Sounds perfect,” Mark grinned, his breath ghosting over Jinyoung’s lips for a mere moment before Jinyoung leaned in all the way. 

His boyfriend’s lips were pillowy soft and a little velvety with the stain they put on his lips. Mark kissed back with tenderness, partially for the sake of their makeup and partially because they had an audience. But the latter was long forgotten when he felt the warm brush of Jinyoung’s thumb stroking his cheek and Mark couldn’t stop himself from smiling into the kiss. 

He pulled away after a few moments and then nuzzled their noses together. Being so close to Jinyoung and looking into his eyes like this had Mark’s heart pounding through his chest. Jinyoung leaned his forehead on Mark’s and Mark found the breath to say, “My heart’s going crazy.”

Jinyoung grinned and stole a kiss before saying, “I know, I can feel it. Mine too.”

He brought Mark’s hand over his heart and then Jinyoung covered it with his own. And there it was, the muted rhythm of badumbadumbadum. It was faster than usual and even through Jinyoung’s shirt, Mark could feel the beating without having to focus. Maybe it was because he was attuned to Jinyoung’s everything at this point, but a little bit of pride coursed through his veins anyways.

“You concentrated on something is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Jinyoung said, an echo of a laugh heard in his voice. 

“Yeah?” Mark asked, looking back up to meet Jinyoung’s warm brown eyes. His boyfriend nodded gently. “Well then get ready for when we have to write the next album. I find somewhere and just sit for hours with my acoustic guitar, a pen and a notebook.”

“How many instruments do you play, love?” Jinyoung’s eyes furrowed. 

“Um,” Mark counted in his head as he moved to wrap his arms around Jinyoung’s neck. He smiled when Jinyoung kissed his cheek in the process. “Two? Maybe two and a half? Four?” 

“Four?” Jinyoung raised his eyebrows and Mark smiled, a confused Jinyoung was a cute Jinyoung. “How do you go from two and a half to four?”

 

“Well, I play bass and guitar,” Jinyoung nodded, already understanding that. “and I’m not too terrible at piano. I took lessons as a kid. Jackson has tried to teach me drums before but it didn’t go well.”

His boyfriend looked surprised, “I wanna hear you play.”

“Drums?” Mark said with raised eyebrows. He moved back a little in surprise. “Babe, I promise you don’t---”

But he was cut off by a pair of lips on his and Jinyoung pulling him to his chest. “I meant piano.”

“Oh,” Mark blinked a couple of times before wrapping his arms around Jinyoung’s waist and letting his cheek fall to Jinyoung’s shoulder. “Well, if we ever stumble across a piano I can attempt something but no promises.”

“Alright,” He heard Jinyoung say softly. Right after, Mark felt a pair of lips against his hair and smiled. He let himself close his eyes before realizing where they were. 

Mark’s head snapped up and he looked to the photographer who poked his head up from his camera with a disappointed face, “Why did you stop? I could have gotten the whole shoot done with just you standing there.”

“W-What?” Mark asked, dazed. “I thought you were just doing test shots.”

“I was,” The photographer admitted as he looked at his camera, scrolling through the photos. “But then you started giving me gold. Here, come take a look.”

He motioned for them to follow him a few feet away to a computer. Someone else was already editing the colors and picking the best shots. The photographer leaned down and the editor started scrolling through. 

Some shots were from a distance with their waist up in frame, and others were just their faces. 

“See?” Their photographer, Eddie as Mark finally remembered, gestured to a photo. It was of their faces close up. Mark was looking up at Jinyoung with half moon crescent eyes and a toothy smile and the skin around Jinyoung’s eyes was creased softly, coupled with a gentle look of adoration. “I mean I couldn’t make this shit up if I wanted to. If you keep looking at each other with that much love then this shoot will be over in 30 minutes max.”

“Really?” Mark asked, surprised. Not at the fact that someone could see the love between them but that it meant that they’d be done with this sooner. 

“The magazine wanted some variety so let’s try some other things out,” Eddie said, bring his camera out in front of him and fiddling with the buttons. 

And just little while later the photoshoot was over. But that didn’t mean they were done for the day, far from it. Afterwards, the two got driven to another shoot. While the first was more basic, the second was in a hotel complete with props.

The makeup artists smeared dark reds and browns over Mark’s eyelids giving him a smokey look complete with winged eyeliner. He could have smiled big enough to be seen from space and his expression probably still would have been categorized as bedroom eyes. The contouring had his already sharp features looking like they could slice through steel. 

Afterwards they styled him into a dark gray suit. The staff fiddled with his outfit until deciding to take the jacket off and unbutton his shirt. Mark just watched with curious eyes. He eyed himself in the mirror and the only thing he could think was that he looked... sexy. 

He had never been styled this extreme. Ruby Atlas did some more dark concepts and a couple of mature ones but never anything this mature. The label liked stuff that gave an illusion, not something that pushed it in your face.

Mark smiled widely as he realized that he kind of liked it. He liked the freedom. But then the door opened and Jinyoung and Alex walked in. Alex wearing his normal attire and Jinyoung looking deadly. Mark felt what he could only assume was his jaw unhinging from his skull because he was so shocked and so definitely turned on. 

“Better than that premiere, huh?” Jinyoung said, approaching him. Mark almost took a step back.

Jinyoung’s hair was disheveled and his button down was only half tucked in with his suit jacket almost hanging off one shoulder. He looked like he just finished fucking someone and then hurriedly put his clothes on. Speaking in smaller words, Jinyoung was dripping in sin. And Mark and his weak heart couldn’t handle it.

“I’ll take the silence and blown out eyes as a yes,” Jinyoung grinned. 

“What type of photoshoot is this?” Mark finally found his words.

Alex started laughing until he finally said, “I told the agency how you met and they came up with the idea of doing something of a one night stand concept. It starts in the bar, then the elevator and then finally the hotel room.”

Mark’s eyes got even wider, “So what you’re telling me is that we’re basically doing porn?”

The manager laughed again, this time more heartily, “No, no porn! But trust me Jinyoung has gotten plenty of offers.”

Mark’s face hardened as Alex laughed at him. 

“This shoot is actually the opposite of your last one,” Alex explained. “As I’m sure you’ve realized, the two of you are thirsted after quite a bit. So you being gay has kind of thwarted that fantasy for fans. But this shoot is meant to kind of show that you can still be eye candy for others while still obviously being each other’s.” 

“Ah, so that’s why we look like this?” Mark asked. He felt Jinyoung’s gaze and saw how his boyfriend looked rather entertained with Mark’s reactions. 

“Yep,” Alex said. “So try to keep your clothes on, alright?”

Mark narrowed his eyes at Alex who only smiled and then went to talk to a stylist. Jinyoung came up when Mark was still watching Alex and whispered, “If you can keep it together I’ll fuck you after this.”

His eyes just about popped out of his skull and Mark definitely felt his dick twitch. He rounded on Jinyoung, saying, “How am I supposed to keep it together if you say something like that?”

But his boyfriend had no mercy on him. Jinyoung kissed above Mark’s ear and said, “Because I know you can be good for me.”

Mark’s breath got stuck in his throat and he all but choked on his own spit. It was only with his own willpower that he didn’t start to get hard. Jinyoung was watching him closely and finally smirked before walking away. 

They got called to set and Mark just stood there for a few seconds as he tried to pull himself together. Finally, he let himself be directed to the bar of the hotel. He saw Jinyoung chatting with a staff member but Mark had himself pull his eyes away. If he focused too much on Jinyoung, then Mark definitely wouldn’t make it through this alive. 

As it turned out, the staff member was actually their photographer Mike. He explained that he didn’t want them to focus too much on each other. This photoshoot was about creating a fantasy, so their eyes should usually be on the camera. But in general, Mark and Jinyoung should be touching or orientating their body towards each other to keep an unmistakable aura of ‘Mine’ throughout the shoot. 

Mark nodded, relieved. As long as he didn’t have to look at his boyfriend, he was fine.

They tried a lot of different poses: sitting at the barstools, leaning against the bar, sitting on top of the bar and then laying on the countertop. Sometimes they mirrored each other and other times they did different things. Jinyoung would make his claim by having his hand on Mark’s thigh or just barely touching Mark’s arm. And Mark would lean on Jinyoung or put his arm on Jinyoung’s shoulder. 

It was all pretty simple stuff. Mark knew his angels and frequently got told he was being too much for Ruby Atlas shoots so this was a walk in the park for him. His icy stares and alluring eyes paired with his dark eye makeup made everything even easier for him. 

They quickly moved onto the elevator scene afterwards. The two were encouraged to interact more and Mark tried to not make it a challenge for himself. He tried staring at Jinyoung from across the elevator but the photographer wanted them closer together. 

So Mark bit the bullet and got closer. He placed a hand on Jinyoung’s chest and leaned in, still looking at the camera. When Jinyoung put a hand on Mark’s waist, Mark tried to think about anything but that. 

They were asked to switch it up and so Mark sat on the handrail in the elevator and Jinyoung stood next to him, leaning against the wall. Mark tried to hold his composure and pretend that he wasn’t tugging on Jinyoung’s belt loop.

Eventually the photoshoot went to the bedroom and Mark got nervous when he saw the purposefully unkempt bed and pillows thrown to the floor. It felt too real. He wanted Jinyoung to fuck him like this room made it seem like he already did. 

They were asked to face each other more for this scene since it was the finale. He might as well make the most of the sexual tension, Mark thought. Jinyoung leaned on the edge of the bed and pretended to unbutton Mark’s shirt further. At first Jinyoung just stared dreamily at the camera but then he looked up at Mark and unfortunately Mark happened to look at him too. 

His pupils dilated immediately at the hungry gaze Jinyoung was giving him and Mike said, “Too much, make it less explicit. Let’s move to the bed.”

In Mark’s mind he didn’t know how moving to the bed would make things any less explicit. But then Jinyoung laid down, put an arm behind his head and bent one of his knees. Mark did something similar except for his knee rested on Jinyoung’s thigh and his fingers hung off his parted lips. 

“Perfect,” He heard. And they went from there. 

When the photographer said they were done, Mark and Jinyoung went to review the photos for their scene. While there was definitely sexual tension and the photos held heavy in implications, they didn’t seem like too much.

Mark barely had enough time to look because suddenly his hand was being held and used to drag him off set. As Jinyoung pulled him out of the room and down the hall, Mark struggled to catch up.

Jinyoung pushed the door of his dressing room open and Mark marveled at the new sight before his hips had hands on them. It was a split second before he was being lifted into Jinyoung’s arms and put on the table in front of the mirror, “Babe, what are you---”

But he didn’t get the chance to finish his words because Jinyoung’s lips were on his, crashing into them. Mark’s legs spread instinctually and it was enough for Jinyoung to push his hips through. When Mark felt Jinyoung pull him impossibly closer, so close that he could feel his boyfriend’s cock hardening and being pressed into his, he gasped into Jinyoung’s mouth. 

“Are we really doing this?” Mark said as Jinyoung gave him room to breathe by moving his lips along Mark’s jaw.

His eyes flickered to the door and Mark felt adrenaline course through his veins. It was still open. About half of the way, but if someone heard them then it would be only a simple craining of the neck to see what they were up to. It made Mark feel like he was on fire. 

As one of Jinyoung’s hands went to Mark’s belt, he could hear Jinyoung snicker and Mark took that as a yes. His boyfriend made quick work of Mark’s belt, sliding it off in one swift motion and then letting it clatter to the ground. Jinyoung was being reckless, that belt costed way more than any belt should and it definitely didn’t belong to either of them. But somehow that turned Mark on.

It took Jinyoung all of two seconds to get Mark’s pants down to his thighs. A few buttons, a zipper and a tender demand of, “Up, baby” as Jinyoung pulled the pants and boxers past Mark’s ass and suddenly Mark was exposed. Jinyoung only moved Mark’s pants down far enough to have access, apparently finding taking them all the way off too much of a hassle. 

From inside his jacket pocket, he took out a small bottle of lube. Mark watched this with questioning eyes, “Where did you get that?”

He felt Jinyoung smile against his neck, leave another kiss there and then raise his head to look down at the bottle, “Alex of course.”

Mark balked, “Alex? Alex knows your doing this? And he helped you?”

He watched as his boyfriend squeezed some of the clear liquid onto his fingers with a smirk, rubbing them together to warm it up. “It took a little persuading but finally, after making me agree that I won’t make this a habit, he went and got it for me.”

“What? Are you saying that you don’t plan on f-fucking me at every professional event together?” Mark stumbled over his words as he felt warm, slick fingers rubbing at his entrance. His eyelashes fluttered as Jinyoung dipped in.

But luckily, his sarcasm wasn’t lost because Jinyoung grinned, “I mean, I said I wasn’t but looking at you now? With those puffy lips and dazed eyes? Baby, we haven’t even started yet.”

He felt Jinyoung’s finger enter him fully, moving around just enough to make room for a second one. Mark was pretty used to this routine at this point. He knew the difference between Jinyoung teasing him, actually fingering him and just stretching him open. This was the third. 

Mark guessed it was because they didn’t have much time. If Jinyoung really drew this out, they’d be caught for sure. Plus their next schedule was probably sooner rather than later. Mark racked his brain in attempts to remember which show they were going on next. Was it a day program or a night one--- “Fuck!”

Alright, nevermind. Jinyoung definitely wasn’t just stretching him. And when were there three fingers in him? Since when? Mark let his head tilt back as he felt Jinyoung fingers thrusting against his prostate. Little moans were escaping his lips as he enjoyed the pleasure of it. 

He felt Jinyoung’s lips back on his neck, getting louder moans out of him. 

“Is that all you want, baby boy?” Jinyoung whispered under his ear. The hearing of his nickname went straight to his dick, Mark felt it thicken even more against his thigh. With a flick of Jinyoung’s wrist, he said, “Just my fingers? Gonna get off just on these?”

Mark shook his head with a little whine. He knew his role to play. “No please, I want more.”

Teeth nibbled against the sensitive skin on his neck, just hard enough to get a reaction out of him but soft enough to make Mark moan for more. Jinyoung solicited, “More of what?” 

“Of you,” Mark whined. Jinyoung’s fingers felt so good. They hadn’t gone at it in almost a full day, which was far too long for Mark. He wasn’t used to being deprived this long for a while, especially not since he moved in with Jinyoung. He craved more. 

But his words didn’t seem to have purchase because what Mark longed for most in that moment was still safely tucked away under Jinyoung’s pants. He frowned at the thought and then moved his hand down to cup the bulge in front of him. Mark moved his hand along the shaft and said, “I want this.”

He saw Jinyoung’s playful grin as his boyfriend started unbuttoning his own pants. Mark’s lips parted at the sight of Jinyoung’s now free cock. He realized a long time ago that he was never going to get over how much he liked it. If he had to spend the rest of his life sucking one dick, he hoped to god it was this one. It was perfect. 

“Please,” He heard his own voice say, small and needy. 

Jinyoung’s smirk was deadly as he put his hand on Mark’s thigh and pushed in. His mouth went to Mark’s within the second, kissing him roughly. But he didn’t move his hips and while Mark knew that his boyfriend was only being cautious, Mark was impatient. He spread his legs farther and then wrapped them around Jinyoung’s waist in attempt to show Jinyoung that he was ready.

Thankfully, Jinyoung knew what Mark was trying to do and snapped his hips harder than expected. Mark’s jaw faltered, too focused on how good Jinyoung felt inside him to thinking about kissing back correctly. Jinyoung only took this as an opportunity to slid his tongue in and kiss him deeper. Getting used to the rough pace, Mark kissed back.

His hands went to the side of his boyfriend’s face and hair, fucking up the already messy styling of Jinyoung’s hair. As Jinyoung pounded into him, Mark smiled to himself as he thought that the stylists didn’t even need to do their job. They should have let Mark and Jinyoung fuck like this before going on set. It would definitely have been a cost saver.

Teeth biting down on Mark’s bottom lip had Mark letting out a moan louder than he thought he was going to. He froze. His eyes darted to the still open door and felt his face paling at the realization that someone probably heard him.

Mark head footsteps outside the door and braced himself for someone to see them. What he hadn’t realized was that he was squeezing Jinyoung. “Baby, are you okay?”

He felt Jinyoung’s eyes scan over his face and then follow Mark’s gaze to the door. 

“Are you worried about someone finding out? Hm?” He kissed down Mark’s neck, which admittedly was pretty calming. That is, until Jinyoung bit down and slammed into him at the same time. Mark couldn’t stop his moan if he wanted to, it was too much stimulation, too much pleasure. “There you go, baby. Let it all out.”

Mark kept getting fucked into roughly and for the first time he actually tried to hold in his moans. His lips were turning white as he forced them closed but Jinyoung had other plans. His boyfriend kissed under his ear and whispered, “Baby boy, why are you holding in all those pretty noises? Don’t worry about someone hearing, everyone who does will wish they were you.”

He felt Jinyoung change angles to thrust in deeper and his lips parted involuntarily, letting out, “Shit, oh my god.”

Jinyoung smiled against his skin, “Make them jealous, baby. Make them wish they were getting fucked like this. It feels good, doesn’t it?”

Mark nodded and then whimpered, “So good.”

“Yeah? You like taking this cock, don’t you?” Mark couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Jinyoung was never this talkative during sex. But he couldn’t stop from moaning, “Yes, fuck yes.”

His boyfriend went back to placing kisses on his neck but these were wide, wet open mouth kisses. Periodically, Jinyoung would suck on a patch of skin or graze his teeth over it, driving Mark wild. He wasn’t stopping his moans anymore. He wasn’t sure if he could at this point.

But Jinyoung was right, anyone who heard how loud Mark was being would know how good of a fuck Jinyoung was. He was only rightfully promoting his boyfriend, showing off how good it all felt. Mark always wanted everyone to know that Jinyoung was his and his alone, this was just a fucked up way of doing just that. Surely, he would regret this decision later, but at the moment it only turned Mark on more.

“You sound so good, baby,” Jinyoung breathed into his skin. By the way he sounded, Jinyoung was getting close. Mark’s theory was confirmed when he felt a hand wrap around his cock. He didn’t know how badly he needed the touch until it happened. 

Jinyoung’s hand on him felt like electricity barely contained under Mark’s skin. He was so sensitive and Jinyoung’s hand slid up and down him so easily. “You’re so wet, baby boy. Always so wet for me.”

Mark hugged Jinyoung’s neck, holding him impossibly closer. He could hear the sound of Jinyoung’s heavy breaths and feel the way the puffs of warm air tingled on his skin. Mark wanted Jinyoung so badly, but he had him. He had everything, except one thing. The thought of it pushed Mark closer and closer to the edge.

“Daddy,” He moaned, all breathy and wanton. “Daddy please.”

He felt how those words affected his boyfriend, hips pushing into him even faster and a hand gripping his side tighter. “Tell me what you want, baby. Anything.”

“Cum in me, daddy, please I need it,” Usually Mark wouldn’t beg like this before his finished himself but it seemed like the only thing stopping him from crossing the finish line, and fuck he needed to cum. “Fill me up, daddy. Make me yours, please please---”

And then he was getting fucked into ruthlessly, the hand on his cock firm and fast. Mark’s eyes rolled back as his orgasm hitting him like a freight car, “Fuck oh shit shitshit.”

He went limp in Jinyoung’s embrace as he came into his boyfriend’s hand. Mark smiled happily as he heard Jinyoung’s staggered breaths and curses muffled by the skin of his own neck and felt something warm inside him. He imagined rope after rope of cum filling him up and grinned a little wider. 

Mark loved this moment, when he was high on just finishing. Feeling warm, lethargic and completely satisfied, especially knowing that Jinyoung was still inside him, thrusting shallowly as he emptied the last remainder of his orgasm into him. 

“Fuck,” Mark mumbled happily. With haggard breaths, Jinyoung smiled at him. His eyes were warm as he leaned in and kissed Mark’s cheek. Jinyoung’s lips were wet from all the kissing and it only made Mark’s eyes shine.

He cupped Jinyoung’s face with his hands and said, “I love you.”

Jinyoung smiled wider and kisses his lips softly, “I love you more.”

“Well, I hate both of you right now,” Alex said and Mark jumped, clinging to Jinyoung. His happy, weightless comedown was ripped right out of him and embarrassment and maybe a little fear snuck in. 

His boyfriend on the other hand, only laughed. Mark’s eyes went wide as he took a peak over Jinyoung’s shoulder and saw Alex’s annoyed expression. He wasn’t angry at least. Or, Mark hoped he wasn’t. Jinyoung said he knew, right?

“You could have at least closed the door,” Alex said with his hands up in the air. Mark looked over and saw the door closed. Alex must have seen him because he said, “Yeah, don’t worry. I closed it for you.”

The manager sighed loudly and said, “I’m paid to make sure you’re taken care of and that you get to the right places at the right times, not to be forced to watch you fuck your boyfriend.”

“Wouldn’t you say that letting me fuck Mark is making sure I’m taken care of?” Jinyoung laughed. Mark didn’t understand how he was so carefree about this whole thing. 

Ignoring that comment, Alex said, “I don’t know if I should be calling you barbarians or kinky motherfuckers for having sex, very loudly by the way, on set with the door wide open for anyone to see!” 

Mark felt his cheeks warm at the confirmation that he really was being loud but at the same time he felt a little proud too. Jinyoung kept laughing, “Come on, you knew I was going to do this!”

“I thought you were going to be discreet!” Alex groaned. “And can you please get out of him and into some of your own clothes?”

Mark’s eyes went wide at the thought of his boyfriend stepping away from him and letting Alex see all of Jinyoung’s cum dripping out of him. It was usually an intimate moment between the two of them when Jinyoung cleaned him up and he wasn’t exactly looking forward to having Alex there when it happened. 

Jinyoung sucked in some air, “See, I would but if I pulled out right now I’d have to clean up the mess and I don’t think you want to see that.”

Mark felt relieved that Jinyoung said something and hugged his boyfriend tightly, resting his face on Jinyoung’s chest. He couldn’t see Alex but he could hear his fake, or maybe real, gag before saying, “Alright, fine I’ll be back in five. You better be fully clothes when I come back.”

When Mark heard the door close, he squeezed Jinyoung closer to him, the usual lovey-dovey after sex feelings taking over him. “Thank you.”

His boyfriend hugged him back, carding his hand through Mark’s hair. “Of course, I didn’t think you wanted Alex to see you all exposed like that.”

Mark looked up at him appreciatively, “You were right.”

Grabbing some tissues off the table, Jinyoung pulled out and started wiping everything up. He was delicate and cautious of Mark’s more sensitive areas and Mark felt affection bubble up inside him. His boyfriend was nothing if not thoughtful, as always. 

“Were you okay with this?” Jinyoung asked hesitantly as he started to unbutton Mark’s shirt. Mark blinked a few times before Jinyoung further explained, “I never asked if it was okay, I just did it. I knew you were uncomfortable at the thought of someone hearing you but I left the door open anyways. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I would have said something or stopped you,” Mark assured. He felt relaxed and content with his boyfriend in front of him, speaking so softly to him. “It scared me, but I trust you. And honestly, you were right. I kind of liked it.”

“Only kind of?” Jinyoung teased as he slid off his own shirt and then went to grab the clothes he arrived in. Mark’s eyes trailed after him, no longer lustful but instead prideful. That beautiful man was his.

“It was rather lackluster,” Mark shrugged, trying his best to pretend. The moment his eyes met with Jinyoung’s, he smiled widely.

“Oh yeah, I bet,” Jinyoung’s eyes shined at him and Mark beamed back at him. He snickered and said, “Man, I can’t wait till we go to events together. You’re going to be so possessive.”

“As if you won’t be too,” Mark rolled his eyes and took the clothes that Jinyoung handed to him. At first he was surprised that they were his, but his boyfriend must have stashed them in here earlier. 

“This must be why we’re so good together,” Jinyoung said, his smile wide and his voice sounding amused. “We’re both so proud to be each other’s.”

Mark smiled at him sweetly. Jinyoung was absolutely right. 

A few moments later, Alex walked in and saw the suits hanging on hangers and said, “There better not be any bodily fluids on those.”

“Oh only the blood of my enemies, don’t worry,” Mark said with a grin and a twinkle in his eyes.

Alex rolled his eyes, “I’m serious.”

“Yeah and so is Mark, right babe?” Jinyoung joined in, supporting his boyfriend’s joke. Mark grinned at him and nodded. 

Unfortunately, Alex didn’t find it nearly as funny as he sighed loudly. “How am I going to get through this without killing both of you? Jinyoung’s annoying comments are bad enough but both of you? Together? No, scratch that. I’ll just jump off the nearest cliff.”

“Aww, Alex you know you love us,” Mark said cheekily.

The manager narrowed his eyes, “Do I though?”

“If you didn’t, then you would have quit forever ago,” Jinyoung said with a laugh, calling his long term manager’s bluff.

Alex just sighed and said, “Either way, you have an interview that we’re filming at 2, so that gives you just enough time to go grab something to eat and shower.”

Mark’s stomach grumbled and he was thankful for the time to eat. 

 

Mark was standing at the side of the stage jittery. He saw the host of the show talking to the crowd about their next guest and started biting on his bottom lip nervously. Mark had been on this show before with Ruby Atlas but it felt different being on it with Jinyoung. With Ruby Atlas, Mark didn’t have to talk much. Jackson and Bambam playfully bickered enough that usually him and Yugyeom got to sit back and relax. The host always played along and had this way of getting them to relax around her so it never felt nerve wracking.

But this was different. With Ruby Atlas, Mark had nothing to prove. He had a stage persona to fall back on and the crowd either already knew them or they didn’t. If they didn’t know the band, Jackson usually got the crowd to fall in love with them in less than ten minutes. That’s how it always was. But this time Mark did have something to prove.

He needed the crowd to fall in love with him and Jinyoung. The audience needed to ‘aww’ and laugh along with them. It was critical. Jinyoung had a way with people. He was charming and witty, making it hard for people to not fall for him at first sight. Mark was shier and blushed too much when he was nervous. He was scared. 

Mark felt Jinyoung’s arms wrap around his shoulders and a kiss pressed above his ear. “Stop thinking so much, love. Don’t worry about other people. I’m right here, just think about me.”

He exhaled and brought his hands up to curl around Jinyoung’s arms. His boyfriend could read him so easily these days. Mark was thankful that they got found out at the time they did. He felt like they knew each other well and their relationship was stronger than ever. Mark knew exactly how Jinyoung felt about him, he had no doubts about their feelings towards each other. He trusted Jinyoung so wholly, there was no room for insecurity between them. 

Mark heard the cue for them to go on and Jinyoung kissed his hair one last time before moving to take Mark’s hand. They walked on stage and made it over to the couch next to the host’s chair. He heard the way the crowd cheered and tried his best to smile. With Jinyoung’s hand in his, Mark felt grounded.

As they sat down, Jinyoung laid his arm behind Mark’s neck and for that Mark was thankful. He wanted the extra reminder of his boyfriend presence. He hoped his nerves would fade quickly like they had at Eunji’s wedding. 

And of course the host, known for being blunt, said, “Wow Mark, you look so nervous.”

Mark’s cheeks warmed and he laughed nervously. Deciding to be honest, Mark replied, “I’m so nervous right now.”

He could feel Jinyoung smiling at him and the audience laughed with him. The host leaned back in her chair and said, “You weren’t this nervous last time you were here. Is it because of Jinyoung? Because if I had a man with a face like that, I’d be nervous too.”

Mark laughed, covering his mouth and shook his head. 

“Are you sure? His looks are so intimidating,” She said, crossing her legs.

He said the first thing in his head. Mark leaned forward and pointed at himself, “Are you saying Jinyoung shouldn’t be nervous around me? Are my looks not as intimidating?”

“Oh no,” Jinyoung said. “Don’t get him started on this.”

The host looked between this with a bright smile, probably sensing that there was something here. “Don’t get him started on what?”

“Mark is convinced that I’m hot one in our relationship despite me always telling him that he’s wrong,” Jinyoung explained. Amusement of being reminded by the on again off again playful argument could be heard his voice.

“You think he’s hotter?” The host asked Mark and Mark’s face clearly said ‘isn’t it obvious?’

Mark turned and gestured to Jinyoung, “I mean look at him, he’s gorgeous. You could probably insure this face for like thousands of dollars.”

“Only thousands?” Jinyoung smirked, pretending he was confused that Mark wouldn’t suggest that his face was worth more. Mark’s jaw dropped. Jinyoung grinned at Mark’s reaction and said, “I’m kidding, baby.”

But Mark didn’t look convinced. Jinyoung glanced to the host and explained, “I think my face is pretty, handsome even but Mark’s bone structure is straight up murderous.”

Jinyoung accented his words and the host raised her eyebrows, “How so?”

He looked towards Mark and started listing off to the host before turning to Mark, “His high cheekbones? And your straight nose? And your jawline? Babe, you could kill someone with how sharp they are. You’re the definition of if looks could kill.” Mark felt his ego inflating and the corners of his lips lifted into a smile. “But at the same time you’re so goddamn cute. I love it.”

Mark deadpanned and said, “See? I’m cute not hot.”

“You two seem like you argue a lot,” The host commented and Mark smiled again.

“We really don’t,” He said and then glanced over to Jinyoung who met his gaze with warm eyes. He had to play this up. They didn’t need breakup rumors as soon as they came out. “We’re always teasing each other and getting into playful arguments but if you asked me if we ever fought, I would immediately say no.”

“So you’re very comfortable around each other?” She asked and Mark nodded in agreement.

“Very,” Jinyoung scoffed. “Mark adopted the ‘what’s mine is yours’ saying early into our relationship.”

Mark narrowed his eyes at him, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I tell you one time that you could borrow clothes from me and ever since then you’ve stolen my whole closet,” Jinyoung teased. His eyes were shining as he smiled, showing that there was no malice in his words. 

“I haven’t stolen your whole closet, babe,” Mark replied as he rolled his eyes.

“No?” Jinyoung asked. Mark shook his head and Jinyoung continued, “Then what part of your outfit today did you buy for yourself?”

Mark opened his mouth as he looked down and realized that everything he was wearing was his boyfriend’s, even the shoes. 

“I like that you have to add the ‘buy for yourself’ part,” The host laughed and Jinyoung laughed with her.

“He’ll come home with something and say its for me, right? But then after I’ve worn it maybe once or twice I’ll never seen it again...unless it’s on him,” Jinyoung explained with a wide smile. He looked back to Mark who still hadn’t answered. 

“The pants?” Mark said and Jinyoung looked at him with loving eyes.

“Nothing else?” Jinyoung asked.

Mark shook his head as he scratched behind his ear. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, “Nope.”

Jinyoung looked to the host and said, “If you walk into our closet, it’s basically all of my clothes and then his pants. Because we’re different sizes there. But he steals everything else.”

“They smell like you,” Mark mumbled his attempt to stand up for himself. He looked to the host. “Jinyoung smells so good, if you could wear his clothes I promise that you would.”

“Is that an offer?” She asked curiously.

Jinyoung’s laugh rumbled through him and Mark felt at home. His nerves had vanished and it was once again because of Jinyoung. His boyfriend made him feel so comfortable, even when all he did was tease him. 

As Jinyoung stood up, the audience screamed. Jinyoung laughed softly and Mark could see him putting on his most charming smile as he said, “I mean, I’m not going to take my clothes off but you can smell me.”

He leaned down in front of the host and Mark watched her sniff at his boyfriend’s neck. Her expression turned impressed and she looked at Mark as Jinyoung took his place back down on the couch, “I see what you mean now.”

“Yeah, so you can’t blame me for wanting to smell that all day long,” Mark said smugly. No one else got to smell Jinyoung and bathe in his scent like Mark did. He felt weirdly possessive over that fact. 

“It’s just so odd because no one even suspected that you two knew each other, let alone were dating, until a couple days ago,” She said. 

“It is a little weird having everyone know now,” Mark confessed. 

“When I first saw the articles speculating on your relationship, I thought they were joke articles. Like let’s put these totally random celebrities and connect miniscule dots between them and say that they’re dating. But then I read the articles and I admit the evidence was rather convincing. And then you guys confirmed the rumors the next day!” The host said animatedly. “I couldn’t believe it! Since there were no pictures of you two together I feel like it would have been easy to deny the relationship, but you didn’t. Could you maybe explain why?”

Mark looked to Jinyoung and Jinyoung looked back him in confusion, “Why are you looking at me? You’re the one who confirmed them.”

“Well,” Mark said, biting his lip as he tried to figure out how to explain it all. “Basically, I wanted to keep our relationship hidden but Jinyoung didn’t. He felt like he had nothing to lose by coming out and I...well, I did.”

Mark paused, not sure how to go about this, “So when people figured out that were dating, it felt wrong to deny it. I love Jinyoung and I want to be with him for as long as he wants to be with me---”

“So for the rest of my life,” Jinyoung quipped with a smile. Mark beamed and continued, “And I couldn’t see how that would change if people knew about us. We really have no problems in our relationship so it’s not like there’s a foreseeable end. Um, so basically if we stay together for years then we would probably get found out again so what’s the point of denying our relationship now if it would all come out eventually?”

“So you confirmed the rumors because you saw no reason not to?” She questioned.

“Oh, no. There were definitely reasons not to. But hiding it was a lot of work and if I’m going to be found out eventually I might as well enjoy the benefits of being out now,” Mark tried to explain. 

“What types of benefits?” The host asked.

Mark smiled a little too wide at Jinyoung, knowing that if he spoke this out into existence that it had a higher chance of coming true, “Like being my boyfriend’s date to his movie premieres.”

Jinyoung grinned back and playfully said, “I thought you were banned from all future premieres.”

“I’m working on it!” Mark insisted. He hadn’t said anything to Alex yet but he just assumed that he wasn’t actually not allowed to go to them.

“Banned?” The host asked, eyebrows raised.

Waving his hand in the air like he was trying to brush away the concept of being banned, Mark said, “No no, I’m not banned persay---”

Jinyoung hummed as if he didn’t agree and the host said with an entertained expression, “It seems like there’s some incontinuity between your statements.”

Mark sighed and said, “Okay so---”

“Oh wow, the full story,” Jinyoung said dramatically and Mark pushed at his shoulder like he usually would and laughed, “Babe oh my god, shut up.”

His boyfriend grinned at him and Mark was surprised at how natural this all felt. He continued with, “Anyways I went to this suit fitting with Jinyoung, right? And Jinyoung looked so good in his suit for a premiere, like so good. Like sex on a stick good. So I may or may not have told his manager that if I went with Jinyoung to this movie premiere that Jinyoung would never even arrive because I would ravish him in the car there. And uh, I was henceforth banned from all future premieres because of that?”

The host started laughing half way into the story and when Mark finished, pink cheeks and all, she said, “I can’t say that many would blame you for that.”

Through the slight embarrassment of exposing himself, Mark grinned in agreement. The host glanced to some of her crew as she said, “Let’s get some pictures of Jinyoung at recent premieres for a visual.”

And within lightning speed, photos from the premiere that Mark had been referencing as well as some others popped up on the screen behind them. The audience screamed again and Mark felt smug looking at all the photos. The host looked too before saying, “Yeah I don’t think we could blame Mark at all when his boyfriend is this handsome.”

Mark felt a proud smile bloom across his lips. The host pointed between him and Jinyoung, “You two live together, right?”

Mark nodded happily and Jinyoung tightened his arm around Mark as he said, “Yep.”

“So you know each other pretty well?” Mark narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out where the host was going with this, “Yeah…”

She pulled out two white sticks with arrows at the ends and handed them to Mark and Jinyoung. With a smile she said, “We’re going to see just how well you know each other and your relationship. I ask a question and then you use those to point at who you think answers the question.”

“Tell me why I’m already scared?” Jinyoung joked as he twirled the stick around in his hand.

“Because if you get something wrong, I’ll never let you hear the end of it,” Mark grinned with a devilish smile. 

“Oh so we got some competition here?” She said with a big grin, clearly happy that they were already getting into it. “Okay first question: who made the first move?”

Both of them pointed at Mark, which had the host tilting her head, “Really?”

Mark nodded proudly and Jinyoung said, “I was more interested in going home than meeting someone.”

“It’s fun seducing you,” Mark said with a wide smile as he leaned into Jinyoung’s side.

“Yeah because you’re good at it,” Jinyoung said, his eyes flashing with something that had Mark’s spine tingle.

“Question two: who takes longer to get ready?” Immediately Jinyoung pointed to Mark and Mark scoffed. “Me? Are you serious? I’m almost always dressed before you!”

“Uh huh, and why is that?” Jinyoung challenged. Mark narrowed his eyes to try and understand what Jinyoung was getting at before his eyes widened and he said, “Oh.”

“Mhm,” Jinyoung nodded and then laughed, turning back to the host. “I dried his hair for him once and all of a sudden I’m blow drying it every morning.”

“You never say no!” Mark rebutted. “And it’s so warm…”

“So, if I didn’t dry his hair then I would definitely be done first,” Jinyoung said and then looked down lovingly at Mark. “But I really don’t mind it.”

The host clutched her heart and then said, “You two are too cute, which is perfect for this next question: who said ‘I love you’ first?”

They both pointed to Mark and his lips stretched into a bigger smile. The host asked, “Would you mind sharing the story?

Mark shook his head and then explained, “We were in Hawaii and I had been dying to say it but everything felt too mundane. Like he would just look at me or ask me if I was hungry and I’d have to force myself bite my tongue. So I waited until we were in the ocean at sunset.”

“You beat me to it,” Jinyoung said, kissing Mark’s temple and making Mark blush. 

“That sounds so romantic, so let’s throw a wrench in: who’s the bed hog?”

Both of them stilled their arrows and looked at each other in confusion. Jinyoung pursed his lips and Mark tilted his head until he hesitantly said, “...No one?”

“Yeah, I think neither of us are,” Jinyoung said as he nodded like he was confirming it in his head too. 

“Are you sure? No one steals the covers or takes up most of the bed?” The host asked, surprised. 

Mark shook his head and Jinyoung said, “We sleep right next to each other so we use the same amount of space.”

She hummed and then asked, “So then follow up question, who’s the little spoon?”

Their arrows hesitated again and the host’s jaw dropped, “Wait, really? You sleep next to each other and you don’t know who the little spoon is?”

Mark shifted in his seat, “We don’t really spoon. We’ve spooned maybe once or twice, right babe?”

And Jinyoung agreed, “That sounds about right.”

“Then how do you sleep with each other?” The host asked and Mark’s eyes about popped out of his skull. 

The thumb that had been rhymically rubbing his shoulder paused and Mark could feel Jinyoung hold his breath. The audience laughed at their reactions while the host scrambled to say, “That’s not what I meant to say I promise! I meant sleep next to each other.”

Jinyoung’s light hearted laugh came through as he said, “I was gonna say…”

“No, no! That’s-- Nevermind,” Her face was red and she rested her forehead in her hand before saying, “Next question: Who gave the first kiss?”

Jinyoung moved the arrow to point at himself and Mark paused for a little too long to think about it because he heard a snicker and, “You don’t remember?”

With a sheepish smile, Mark replied, “I just couldn’t remember who went for it first. Usually I would say you but I was kind of daring that night…”

He trailed off and Jinyoung’s smile got brighter, “Oh Mark was all sorts of daring that night. He wouldn’t tell me his first name until an hour or two after I met him. He somehow got me to agree to let him sleep over, to drive him home the next day and take him out on a date before he told me his last name.”

Mark’s cheeks tinted as he sucked on his bottom lips with an embarrassed smile as the host said, “Oooo! Now we’re getting to the juicy details!”

“But our first official kiss as boyfriends was from Mark for sure,” Jinyoung said and Mark had to think back. He remembered Jinyoung making fun of him for not seeming happy enough about becoming his boyfriend and grinned. “That was a good kiss.”

“Any kiss from you is a good kiss,” His boyfriend said and when Mark looked up at him, his eyes were met with soft affection. He melted under the glance as the host pulled them back into reality.

“Alright, so this might be some uncharted territory but: who mentioned marriage first?”

Jinyoung pointed at Mark and Mark just sat there for a second before he remembered that night. He groaned and leaned his head back up against the couch while Jinyoung laughed at him.

“Okay that was not the reaction I was expecting, is there some sort of story here or…?” She asked as Jinyoung wiggled Mark’s shoulder to tell it.

“I got drunk at Jinyoung’s sister’s wedding and ran over to Jinyoung declaring that we should get married. We had only been together for what? Four months at that point?” His cheeks were pink and Jinyoung’s eyes were brimming with warmth.

“It was so cute, I had never seen Mark drunk before and he’s such a cute drunk,” Jinyoung said, smiling down at him. Mark couldn’t help but smile back. Jinyoung wrapped his arms around him and imitated Mark from that night, “He was all over me telling me how pretty I was and how good I looked in a black suit. He had maybe 3 glasses of champagne and was totally done for the night. Passed out as soon as I took him back to the hotel.” 

Mark rubbed at his face and mumbled, “Why am I such a lightweight?”

“I have since learned that one drink is basically his limit,” Jinyoung grinned, half laughing at Mark’s reaction. “He gets too giggly after two.”

“That’s too funny,” The host said. She crossed her legs and said, “Moving on to the end of our show, I wanted to ask some questions that the fans are burning to know.”

“Go for it,” Jinyoung said casually. She already accidently asked them how they have sex, the host couldn’t ask them a more shocking question.

“The whole keychain deal, it says Mark but you’ve been using it for months?” She asked.

“Ah,” Jinyoung nodded. “Mark bought it for me when he came to visit me in Hawaii while I was filming.”

“He wouldn’t let me buy him a fancy gift so I went for the tackiest one possible. I didn’t notice that he actually used it until recently,” Mark explained. 

“Oh it’s supposed to be tacky? Well that explains why you gave someone a keychain with your name on it,” She said. As soon as she finished, Mark dropped his shoulders and frowned. 

Jinyoung had his arms around Mark within seconds, “Aww baby, it’s okay. I get the reason.”

The host seemed to realize that she said something wrong because she said, “Is that...Is that not the reason?”

Mark shook his head and Jinyoung answered, “It’s supposed to be sentimental. Obviously the average Hawaiian gift shop won’t have keychains that say Jinyoung so Mark got his name instead so that I could always remember him and our time in Hawaii together. 

“I thought it’d be cute,” Mark said, pretending to pout so that others would know it wasn’t that serious. 

“No, that actually is pretty cute,” The host said, but she moved on to the next question quickly. Mark couldn’t tell if it was for lack of time or too much awkwardness. “The other thing that fans have picked up on are how when you two talk on social media you always add the sun and earth emojis. Does it mean anything to you or do you just really like these emojis?”

“Oh, that’s because of something that Jinyoung started calling me about halfway into our relationship,” Mark supplied. “I’m his sun and he’s the planets orbiting around me.”

“It’s another one of my endless ways of telling Mark that he’s the most important part of my life,” Jinyoung nodded with a warm smile. 

“Too cute! Do you hear these guys?” She asked the crowd. “I don’t think that they could get any cuter but unfortunately that’s all the time we have left for our show today…”

 

After the show ended and their mics were taken off and their makeup was being wiped away, Mark took Jinyoung’s hand into his. He saw his boyfriend look over with curiosity and Mark said, “Thanks for um, not saying what happened at Eunji’s wedding.”

“I figured I embarrassed you enough,” Jinyoung said with a smile and Mark nodded. Jinyoung’s eyes softened as he intertwined their fingers, “And anyways, I promised you I wouldn’t tell anyone about that ever again.”

Mark felt the edges of his lips pull up into a smile and Jinyoung’s thumb swiped over the back of his hand. “Thank you.”

“You can always trust me,” Jinyoung said and Mark’s smile got bigger. 

“I know.”

Jinyoung grinned and said, “I know what buttons to push and which to stay far away from, don’t worry baby.”

 

Afterwards, they were done for the day. Together they went home and made dinner together. It felt oddly normal, as if nothing that happened that day was a big deal. The two of them exposed themselves in more ways than one and yet it didn’t really seem to matter. 

Jinyoung felt content with the day closing as he got into bed with the love of his life. He knew Mark was too tired to do anything and surprisingly, he was thankful. All he wanted was the curl up with Mark and enjoy just being next to him. 

With his boyfriend all snuggled up into him like usual, a thought clicked in his mind. “Baby, we should post how we sleep.”

Mark’s face lit up, “I was thinking that earlier too! I was checking online and fans were wondering about it.”

Smiling, Jinyoung thought that fans were probably wondering about a lot more than just sleeping positions. But still, he grabbed his phone and opened the camera app. After snapping a couple photos, he moved to instagram. 

One was Mark with his eyes closed, face pressed into his boyfriend’s neck as Jinyoung smiled softly and the other was with Mark kissing underneath Jinyoung’s jaw as Jinyoung held him tighter. They were cute.

Jinyoung captioned it ‘See? No spooning’ with a sun and earth emoji as well as tagging the host and her show. 

He let Mark look over them and saw his boyfriend smile brightly before nodding. Jinyoung posted it and then put his phone away. When he turned back to Mark, he pulled him close and said, “I had fun today. I loved spending time with you.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t just the whole fucking me in your dressing room and exposing all my secrets?” Mark quipped and Jinyoung couldn’t help but smile. These soft jabs were one of Jinyoung’s favorite things about being in a relationship with Mark. 

“Well now that you mention it…,” Mark’s jaw dropped and Jinyoung kissed his hair. “No, baby come on. You know I love you for more than that. I always hate leaving you at home when I’m out filming. It was nice not doing that today.”

“It was,” Mark said with a smile. “Thank you for being so kind about the whole thing. I’m sorry that your movie is on hold.”

Jinyoung shrugged. His movie was the last thing on his mind, “It’s fine, love. You know you’re more important.”

Instead of agreeing, Mark just said, “I love you.”

With a yawn, Jinyoung said it back.

 

“If you’re an actor and you’re a bassist,” The MC pointed out. “How in the world did you guys cross paths?”

They were on some radio show and so far Mark felt less stressed about it than the show yesterday.

“At a party,” Mark said. The MC repeated him and Jinyoung said, “It was a party that some actress was hosting and neither of us wanted to be there.”

“So you two found each other because you were both being gloomy wallflowers?”

“Not exactly,” Mark said and the MC looked like he was hoping Mark would say more, so he did. “Basically Jackson got invited to this party and begged me to be his plus one. Usually I would have said no because being Jackson’s plus one means walking into the event together and then losing him after approximately 2.7 seconds because Jackson knows anyone and everyone. But I had nothing better to do so I went.”

“Jackson introduced you two?” The MC guessed and Mark shook his head.

If Jackson knew Jinyoung, then Mark and him would have ended up together a long time ago. Or maybe they wouldn’t have. Maybe Jinyoung would have been too busy for anything serious and Mark would have messed up their first date by being too nervous. 

Jinyoung stepped in, “Nope. I was there to get notes on a part I was supposed to be playing but just couldn’t get in the mindset of. My manager had me to go this party to essentially flirt a little and pick someone up but I wasn’t in the mood at all.”

“I was a couple seconds away from slinking out the back door when I saw Jinyoung walk in and my jaw practically dropped to the floor,” Mark said with a shy smile.

“Did he look that good?” The MC laughed.

Mark shook his head at first and then nodded, “No, I mean yes. He looked incredible but I hadn’t expected to see him. To be completely honest, I actually only went to this party to see if I could catch a glimpse of Jinyoung. Jackson said it was some big actor party and that all these A list actors were going to be there. He was right, but the one actor I wanted to see hadn’t been there...But then he was.”

“Did you have some sort of crush on Jinyoung?” The MC asked, looking more interested in the story.

“Oh he definitely did,” Jinyoung laughed, his smile blinding. “Mark was so into me.”

Mark bit the inside of his lip and the MC looked surprised. He chuckled and said, “Was he?”

With a sigh, Mark admitted it, “Jinyoung has been my celebrity crush for years. I’ve watched all his movies, which he teases me about all the time.” Mark purposefully glared at his boyfriend and Jinyoung grinned. “So when Jinyoung stepped into the room, looking as handsome as could be, I basically died and did the only this I could do.”

“Which was what?” The MC asked curiously.

Mark felt himself blush as he thought about admitting to being a little stalkerish but Jinyoung cut to the chase, “He watched me from a distance.”

“Babe!” Mark exclaimed, his cheeks deepening in color.

“For a long time actually. How long did you watch me, love?” Jinyoung asked with twinkling eyes. He was enjoying putting Mark on blast.

“A while…,” Mark hung his head. “I was too scared to go up to him so I watched him to see what he was like. A lot of really pretty actresses, like a lot of them came up to him at the bar. And man, Jinyoung can charm people like no other. But what I thought was weird was that he didn’t seem interested in any of them. They all walked away looking disappointed fairly quickly. I thought that maybe they just weren’t his type until some actors came along.”

“And was he interested in them?” The MC probed.

Mark teetered in his seat, “Well, not exactly. But this time I caught him checking them out. At first I thought I was just seeing things so I moved a little closer and watched Jinyoung’s eyes. He was definitely giving these actors once overs. And my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest at the thought that Jinyoung might be into men. But just like the girls, these guys ended up getting turned away too.”

“Did you swoop in?” 

Jinyoung started laughing, eyes creasing and everything and Mark’s eyes fluttered down. “No, he made me sit there at the bar for 20 minutes alone before finally coming over. I was about to leave when he came up to me.”

“20 minutes?” The MC exclaimed and Mark whined, “I was trying to get my confidence up! It’s not easy going up to someone like Jinyoung! I was just a bassist in a band that no one at that party knew, if he wasn’t into all these well known attractive people then what chance would I have?”

His boyfriend rolled his eyes, “Love of my life, no one at that party could ever compare to you. Don’t sell yourself short.” 

Mark felt his cheeks warm and his lips lift into a smile. He loved when Jinyoung referred to him as that. Jinyoung hadn’t called him that as a nickname in public before so his heart swelled a little more than usual. 

“So I’m sitting there, right? Trying to figure out how to leave without my manager noticing when this sexy blonde guy leans against the bar next to me and tells me to buy him a drink,” Jinyoung explains, amusement seeping into his voice. A smug smile appeared on Mark’s lips at hearing his boyfriend call him sexy.

“You told him to buy you a drink?” 

“I was trying to act confident!” Mark defended.

“I was pretty taken back too, so I asked him why I should and he said ‘because you think I’m cute’ which was right. And baby, you looked a lot more than cute that night. But since I wasn’t going to let you off easy I said something like ‘well even if I did think that, what makes you think I’ll buy you anything?’” Jinyoung said. “And Mark said something about the actresses who came up before him and got turned away.”

“I was trying to make sure you were gay,” Mark commented as if it was obvious. 

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have bought you a drink,” Jinyoung replied. “But anyways, we get to talking and I do in fact buy him a drink. But somewhere along the way I realize that Mark never introduced himself. So I’m like ‘hey I bought you a drink but I still don’t know who you are.’ And you know what this guy says to me?”

Mark leaned his head back and groaned, “Oh god no…”

Jinyoung looks at him with big, excited eyes like he couldn’t wait to expose Mark. The MC looked back and forth between them and said, “What? What did he say?”

“‘Take me home with you and then I’ll tell you,’” Jinyoung said with a low voice and a wide grin. 

“No, really? Wow Mark had some guts!”

Mark closed his eyes and burrowed his face into Jinyoung’s shoulder. His boyfriend caressed the side of his face and laughed softly, “Aww, baby it’s not that bad. I would have taken you home anyways.”

“And I still can’t believe it. The whole time I was so nervous but apparently Jinyoung didn’t notice at all,” Mark said, still leaning into Mark but this time with a warm smile on his face. He looked up to Jinyoung with affectionate eyes and his boyfriend matched him.

“And by the end of the night, Mark somehow got me to agree to let him sleep over, to drive him home the next day and to take him out on a date,” Jinyoung concluded with a gentle smile on his face, reminiscing.

“I’ve had him wrapped around my finger since day one,” Mark beamed and Jinyoung looked at him with shining eyes before kissing him softly. 

“You guys should see the way these two look at each other, oh wait! You can!” The MC plugged their radio’s live stream again. Mark kept his head on Jinyoung’s shoulder and a hand came to rest on the top of his thigh in response. “I’m serious, I don’t know how Markjin haven’t turned into a pile of goo with the way they look at each other.”

Mark laughed easily, “Bambam always calls us disgustingly cute.”

“In a good way?”

“Oh yeah, for sure,” Mark assured. He heard Megan’s voice in his head. He had to make sure everyone knew that the band was on board with them. He internally kicked himself for using a word like disgusting, even though that was what Bambam called them. “He always says how cute we are together, but you know Bam. He can’t say it with a straight face so he pretends to gag or whatever.”

“How has the band reacted to your relationship?” Mark knew this was his time to shine. He had to sell it. 

“Really well, actually,” Mark smiled a little wider than he probably would have. “They all couldn’t believe it when I started seeing Jinyoung. Bambam was the most skeptical, but both Jackson and Yugyeom were supportive from the start.”

“But Bambam wasn’t?” The MC was looking for drama and Mark’s eyes widened a little bit when he realized he left room for a rumor to spread.

“He was, he just thought I was lying about seeing Jinyoung. Bam’s the type of guy to believe it when he sees it. And it didn’t really hit him until he saw Jinyoung outside our apartment. And by it I mean the literal floor,” Mark added, hoping for some comedic effect to save him.

“I remember that!” Jinyoung said with a loud laugh as if he just now imagined it. “Didn’t he almost fall out your window?”

Mark laughed with him and nodded until the MC questioned, “Wait, did he really?”

“In our apartment, Bambam likes to sit on this window sill on hot days,” Mark started. “It’s just big enough to fit him if he cracks the window open, which he did that day. And I’m running around the house trying to ask everyone if I looked okay for my date with Jinyoung when I hear a thunk followed by ‘oh my god Park Jinyoung is outside our apartment’.”

“I laugh it off because, yes he is and someway somehow Jinyoung’s here for me. So I’m all smiles as I run outside but what I apparently didn’t see was Bambam losing his balance and falling onto the ground because he was so surprised to see Jinyoung” Mark said, trying to hold in his laughter just long enough to finish the story. The MC was laughing along and Mark felt himself grin, happy that he dodged a bullet.

“Alright I gotta ask, what’s the whole thing with the cars? Did you two just happen to buy the same one or?”

Mark shook his head and looked to Jinyoung to answer. He grabbed the water bottle in front of him and watched as his boyfriend’s eyes crinkled as Jinyoung started to tell the story, “There are two cars, yes. But I actually bought both of them.”

“Both? Was one a gift or something?” The MC looked shocked and Mark saw how Jinyoung’s eyes filled with amusement.

“No no, I only have one now,” He explained. “I had a stick shift when Mark and I started dating. I loved driving that car, but driving stick started to get annoying.”

Mark smiled a little too big and the MC got suspicious, “Wait, why?”

“Because he loves me too much,” Mark joked and grinned at Jinyoung.

“As if,” Jinyoung rolled his eyes playfully and Mark felt his lips stretch a little more. “I’m just really touchy. Like if Mark is next to me, I’m always reaching out. Whether it’s to play with his hair or stroke his cheek or just to hold his hand. But changing gears constantly doesn’t really allow for that.”

“So he bought an automatic,” Mark concluded with. Jinyoung looked down at him and stroked the back of Mark’s hair.

The rest of the interview felt easy and Mark even got a little promo for his band somewhere in there too.

 

But their day wasn’t over yet. Luckily they didn’t have anything live after that. The fact that what Mark said couldn’t be edited out, freaked him out.

After lunch they were brought to a high table with a white backdrop behind it. The girl who brought them in motioned for them to sit in the chairs behind the table and Mark took the right chair, earning him a gentle laugh from Jinyoung. His eyes slid over and Mark smiled, “What?”

“You just always pick the right,” Jinyoung commented. “You picked the right side of the closet, the right side of the bed…”

Mark hadn’t even noticed his own actions. He scratched behind his ear and said, “I dunno, the right side just calls to me.”

“It’s cute, baby,” He saw Jinyoung smile at him and felt a hand on his thigh before the same girl from before, Meredith, started talking to them. 

Next to her, Mark could see the red light of the camera flick on indicating that they were filming. “Alright, so in front of you are whiteboards, pens and a jar of questions. We’re going to be doing something where you read a question outloud, write down your answer and then compare it to each other’s.”

Mark and Jinyoung both nodded. “Don’t worry about making it interesting, just be yourselves. The viewers will want to see how you two act around each other and to see your relationship dynamic so don’t overthink it. Pretend like it’s just you two here in the room.”

Which was a lie since there were about 15 other people there, but Mark understood. He had done a million interviews and games with his band members before so this wasn’t new to him. Meredith told them they could start and so Mark went to grab a marker. He noticed that there were two: one red and one blue. He grinned at this and said, “Oh look it’s our colors.”

He handed Jinyoung the blue and kept the red for himself. His boyfriend smiled back at him and the hand on his thigh squeezed. Jinyoung nodded to the glass jar on the table, “Do you want to read the first question?”

“Sure,” Mark replied. He pulled out a piece of white paper and unfolded it. “Oh this is easy, where did we meet?”

Both him and Jinyoung went to their whiteboards. Mark wrote ‘at a party’ and then held his whiteboard so that Mark couldn’t see his answer. When Jinyoung was done they flipped over their boards and saw that they both wrote something similar. 

Mark laughed and said, “Your handwriting is so much better than mine.”

“It’s okay, your signature is way better than mine,” Jinyoung said as he erased his answer and Mark nodded. 

Jinyoung’s signature was big and curvy but Mark’s was straight and perfected. Jinyoung grabbed for a second question and said, “What was your first impression of each other?”

Mark answered ‘holy shit’ and Jinyoung wrote ‘clothes’. When Mark turned his board around his eyes widened and pulled it back, he looked to Meredith and asked, “Wait are we allowed to swear?”

Her expression was amused as she nodded and motioned to keep going. Next to him, Jinyoung was laughing, “If you couldn’t swear I don’t think this would get very far.”

Mark’s jaw dropped and he pushed at Jinyoung’s shoulder. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

His boyfriend’s eyebrows rose as he looked down as if to say that it was obvious, “You have the mouth of a sailor, love.”

Narrowing his eyes and pretending to be upset, Mark sighed and turned over his board. He looked over to Jinyoung’s and frowned, “Clothes?”

“All I could think when we met was ‘how did this guy get let in? he’s clearly not up to dress code,’” Jinyoung confessed with a smirk.

Mark deadpanned, “I wore a button down, okay?”

“Yeah and everyone else was wearing suits,” Jinyoung jabbed with an amused smile. He pointed Mark’s and questioned, “Holy shit?”

Leaning back, Mark said matter-of-factly, “Unlike you, apparently, I saw you and couldn’t believe you were so good-looking. The only thing in my head was ‘holy shit he’s hotter in person.’”

With a smug smile, Jinyoung said, “Yeah that is true.”

Mark scoffed, “Wow, full of ourselves are we?”

“I’m sorry, who pranced around with that magazine telling everyone that he was dating one the Top 100 hottest actors alive?” Jinyoung grinned and Mark’s cheeks reddened. 

He grabbed another piece of paper and read it out, “Do you have a tradition together?”

Mark stared at his whiteboard for a few seconds before haphazardly writing down ‘kisses’. He knew he would have to explain this one but he got curious as to what Jinyoung would write down.

When they flipped their boards over, he saw that Jinyoung wrote down ‘kisses as payment’ and Mark titled his head for a second. 

“You look confused,” Jinyoung said. “But you also wrote kisses so now I’m confused.”

“I meant the 3x kissing rule,” Mark explained and Jinyoung’s mouth made an ‘O’ shape.

“Okay yeah those are two different things,” Jinyoung agreed.

From off camera, Meredith said, “Can you explain them?”

Jinyoung nodded and said, “Mark won’t do anything for free. He’s annoying in the best way possible because if you want anything from him, you have to give something. So early on in our relationship I realized if I wanted some of his food I had to give him some of mine, stuff like that. But I also realized that Mark’s favorite form of payment are kisses. So if I want him to take out the trash or something, I kiss him first before asking. It’s cute.”

Mark grinned smugly, “Get you a boyfriend who likes your annoying habits.”

“Oh no,” Jinyoung feigned being upset jokingly. “I have to kiss my adorable boyfriend all the time, what will I do to escape this terribly demanding fate?”

Grinning, Mark said, “Our kissing rule is pretty similar. Basically, Jinyoung kisses a lot of people because he’s an actor and it’s not that I’m jealous---” Jinyoung winked to the camera and Mark pushed his shoulder. “Babe! I’m not actually jealous, don’t give them ideas. You always save the best kisses for me anyways, what could I be jealous of?”

Jinyoung went from looking down at the pen he was holding to meeting Mark’s eyes. He smiled warmly and said, “Nothing, love.”

For a moment, Mark let himself get lost in his boyfriend’s stare before saying, “Alright, so I made a rule that for every kiss he gives to someone else he needs to give me three more. Which as you can imagine, is a great rule since it means I get a lot of kisses.”

Laughing, Jinyoung said, “If you’re not putting the pieces together here, Mark just really likes to be kissed.”

Jinyoung reached into the jar and pulled out a question that read, “What are your nicknames for each other?”

He smirked immediately and Mark blanched. His pen fell from his fingers as he saw Jinyoung start writing, “You’re not… I mean you’re not going to...right?”

The last thing he wanted was for his daddy kink to be exposed to the world. Sure, it could be edited out but Mark’s reactions would be too good for the company to take out. The views would be incredible.

But Jinyoung acted blissfully ignorant to Mark’s worry, “I’m not going to what?”

Mark tried to act serious for a moment but then failed at the last second, “Don’t. Please don’t. You know Jackson would give me so much shit if he found out.”

Jinyoung looked surprised, “I’ll be spending months with you guys on the road, do you really think he won’t find out?” 

He opened his mouth to reply when Jinyoung continued to say, “And anyways, from the way I hear it Jackson likes t---”

Mark knew that Jackson called Jaebum daddy too. The two of them found their kink through each other, but not with each other. Mark had a guy in college tell him to call him daddy and the way that it felt so sinful mixed with how much the guy got off on it solidified the kink for Mark. But Jackson thought it was weird for the longest time. Until one night Jackson came home smelling like cum and sweat with a huge grin on his face, sat down on the couch with Mark and said, “I get it now.”

Since then, it’s been their go to in the bedroom. But no one could know that. Jinyoung wasn’t about to say that Jackson likes being called daddy, Jinyoung was about to say that Jackson likes to call others daddy. As in, Jackson was into men. Which absolutely could not be revealed. Therefore, it took Mark all of 1.3 seconds to put his hand over Jinyoung’s mouth. 

As he did, Jinyoung’s eyes got wide and then empathetic as if he understood. Mark gave him a warning glance before going back to his board. He wrote: babe, baby, love, love of my life. He skipped over baby boy. That was too telling. 

They turned around their boards and Mark frowned when he just saw ‘babe’ written on Jinyoung’s. When Jinyoung saw Mark’s reaction he said, “Well, you told me I couldn’t write you-know-what so…”

It occurred to Mark that he really didn’t call Jinyoung anything but those two things. It made him sad to realize that. Mentally, he made a pact to start calling Jinyoung more things. “Now I feel like I’m lacking in comparison.”

Jinyoung shrugged, “You show your love in different ways, I don’t mind.”

Although Mark wasn’t totally sold he grabbed a new piece of paper just to move on. He could sense Jinyoung’s eyes still on him and bit the inside of his cheek. He didn’t want Jinyoung to worry about him. Ever since he realized how much more Jinyoung does for him than he does, Mark had become over sensitive to topics like that. “Is there anything that instantly reminds you of each other?”

Mark thought for barely a second before writing ‘fire and ice’.

They showed each other their answers and Mark’s face lit up when he saw ‘pink/red’ on Jinyoung’s whiteboard. 

“We did the same thing!” He beamed at Jinyoung and his boyfriend smiled right back.

“We did,” Jinyoung confirmed. 

Mark looked at the camera and said, “When I first told Jinyoung that my favorite color was red, he told me that his was blue and I immediately said like ‘oh my god, we’re fire and ice!’ But it’s funny because I’m always cold and Jinyoung is always hot, so we’re kind of opposites but I feel like fire and ice fits our personalities pretty well too.”

“You’re full of passion and energy and I’m calm and steady,” Jinyoung affirmed with a warm smile. 

 

Mark went back and forth between two shirts, picking up one before dropping it and picking up the other. Jinyoung came up behind Mark and hugged him. The feeling of his boyfriend’s arms around his bare torso and soft lips pressed into his shoulder was enough to have his worry subside for a moment or two. 

“Love of my life, it doesn’t matter what you wear,” Jinyoung assured as he kissed up the back of Mark’s neck tenderly. “It’s just your parents, they’ve seen you in everything. As long as you don’t show up naked I think it’ll be fine.” 

“If you keep kissing me like this, I won’t have time to put on clothes and I’ll have to show up naked,” Mark warned and Jinyoung nuzzled into his neck. 

“I just want to help you calm down,” Jinyoung said into his skin, holding Mark tighter. 

Mark reached back and held the side of his boyfriend’s face, “I know, baby.”

Against his neck, he could feel Jinyoung pause to say, “I don’t think you’ve ever called me that.”

“What? Would you rather me call you daddy?” Mark joked to cover up his nervousness about calling Jinyoung something new. 

Luckily, Jinyoung laughed and playfully nipped at Mark’s neck. “If you called me that, we wouldn’t even make it to the restaurant.”

Mark grinned, knowing that his boyfriend was right. Jinyoung kissed his neck one last time before letting go and saying, “You can call me whatever you want, love. And I like the white shirt more.”

He gave Mark a smile before leaving the closet. Mark’s eyes fluttered down to the shirts in his hands with a blush across his cheeks. 

 

In the end he did go with the white shirt. Jinyoung opened the door to the restaurant and Mark slipped in, pulling on Jinyoung’s hand a little more than usual.

“Slow down, baby. I thought you were worried not rushing,” Jinyoung heeded as he caught up.

Mark bit at his bottom lip, “The faster we get the over with the better.”

He felt his hand get squeezed, “Love, I’m serious. They won’t be mad at you. Your parents will spend the whole night interrogating me that they’ll forget all about you not telling them about me.”

Across the restaurant, Mark spotted his parents and the hair on his skin rose. He gulped and waved over to them with a fake smile. When they returned the wave, Mark mumbled, “You better be right.”

 

His parents stood up from their chairs and his mother opened wide arms to pull him into a back breaking hug, “My son! My only son who doesn’t call me to tell me about his not so new boyfriend!”

Mark glared at Jinyoung who only smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement as he turned to offer his hand to Mark’s dad. Mark grumbled, “Mom, how many times will I have to apologize?”

“Oh hush and introduce me to him,” She waved her hand and shifted her gaze to Jinyoung. Mark was glad his boyfriend was so pretty because his mom’s eyes widened with surprise.

“You’re much more handsome in person,” She said, her words falling out of her mouth as she shook his hand.

Jinyoung charmed her with a smile and a soft laugh, “Am I?”

Mark saw his mom’s eyes widen again and she fumbled over her words to say, “Not to say that you’re not incredibly dashing on screen.”

With a smile, Jinyoung said, “You’re quite beautiful yourself, Mrs. Tuan. Now I know where Mark gets all his good looks.”

“Oh please, call me Sherry,” His mom replied with a bit of a blush. 

This felt like a good time to step in before Jinyoung schmoozed his parents too much, so Mark put a hand on the back of one of Jinyoung’s shoulder blades and said, “Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend Jinyoung. Or more accurately, the man of my dreams.”

He saw Jinyoung’s eyes flash with affection at him before he looked back to Mark’s parents and said, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“I can see why you’d be dreaming about him,” Mark’s dad said and Jinyoung’s eyes creased with a blinding smile. Mark couldn’t be more proud to call Jinyoung his. 

“He’s gorgeous, right?” But Mark wasn’t looking at his parents for confirmation, he was staring up at Jinyoung with hearts in his eyes. “Inside and out.”

He didn’t notice his parents staring at him until Jinyoung motioned for them to sit down, “Shall we?”

 

“You didn’t tell me that you’re a carbon copy of your parents,” Jinyoung whispered as Mark’s parents discussed wine with their waitress.

Mark tilted his head at him and Jinyoung explained, “Your mom fell in love with me at first sight and you definitely got your sense of humor from your dad.”

“Are you saying I fell in love with you at first sight?” Mark asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Are you saying you didn’t?” Jinyoung challenged, smirking smugly. 

Mark tsk’d softly and said, “Maybe I did.”

Scoffing, Jinyoung replied, “Maybe you definitely did.”

“I’m not the one who invited me home and asked me out before the night was even over. Admit it, you fell for me that night,” Mark countered, his eyes begging Jinyoung to challenge his words. 

“I fall for you every night, you know this,” Jinyoung said, his words soft and his expression even more so. Mark wanted to kiss him so bad, his chin lifted just barely before he held himself back. He was at dinner with his parents, he wasn’t supposed to be flirting with his boyfriend like this. 

But he couldn’t help himself, “And every day?”

Jinyoung’s lips pulled up into a smile as he confirmed, “24/7, 365 days of the year you have my heart and you always will.”

Mark’s lips parted but nothing came out, their playful flirting turned heartfelt so fast. If they were at home, Mark would have already been in Jinyoung’s lap kissing him until he couldn’t breathe. 

“Well?” He heard his mom say and Mark’s head swiveled to face her across the table. His cheeks felt warm as he saw her smitten smile. “Aren’t you going to say something back to that?”

His blush deepened and Mark’s eyes fell towards his glass. He mumbled, too embarrassed to say something back, “He already knows how I feel.”

The mood was already washed away anyways. Mark would be too embarrassed to declare his love for Jinyoung like that knowing that his parents were watching. So he was thankful when Jinyoung put an arm around his shoulder and kissed his hair, “You’re right, I do.”

Mark smiled at the gesture, silently thanking his boyfriend for helping him out of the awkward situation. 

 

“So Jinyoung, tell me about yourself,” Mrs. Tuan said after their drinks came. 

Mark looked to his boyfriend to hear how he was going to answer. Jinyoung, like always, seemed calm and collected. Mark hadn’t exactly expected Jinyoung to be the nervous wreck he was when he met the Parks, but he thought Jinyoung might have been a little less calm. 

“Let’s see,” Jinyoung started. His eyes shifted to the left as if he was thinking. “I was born and raised here in California, I have one older sister, I speak korean---”

“You speak korean?” Mark interrupted. He hadn’t ever heard his boyfriend speak anything but perfect english.

“Mostly with my parents, but never when nonspeakers are around,” Jinyoung said with a smile. “I usually switch over to english when you’re in the room so that’s probably why you never knew.”

Mark sat there completely stunned. He couldn’t believe there was something about his boyfriend that he didn’t know. Mark had expected that everything Jinyoung said to his parents would be something he was already aware of. 

“Is it your mother tongue?” Mark’s dad asked.

Jinyoung considered this for a second before nodding slightly. “I speak english way more so I would probably consider that my primary language but since my parents didn’t want me to grow up not knowing our native language, we spoke mostly that at home.”

“Sounds like our family,” Mrs. Tuan said with a warm smile. And Jinyoung said, “Mandarin, right?”

His parents nodded but Mark blinked, “How did you know?”

“Sometimes you swear in it when you’re playing games,” Jinyoung laughed. “I only recognize it because this one director I worked with did too.”

Mark felt like his jaw was hanging but he was surprised there was something about each other that they hadn’t shared yet. “Say something to me.”

“In korean?” Jinyoung asked and Mark rolled his eyes, making Jinyoung grin.

He felt Jinyoung’s fingers in his hair, pushing his bangs back and saw his boyfriend looking at him with soft affection as he said, “너는 내 인생의 사랑이야.” 

Even though Mark couldn’t understand a word, he could recognize the sentiment. The tender gaze Jinyoung gave him, matched with the soft touch had Mark guessing, “You just called me the love of your life, didn’t you?”

He watched as Jinyoung’s eyes creased and his boyfriend nodded. “I would say I’m surprised you got that, but then again what else would I say to you?”

“Do you call him that often?” Mark’s dad asked, popping the little bubble Mark and Jinyoung had made for themselves and bringing them back to the present. Mark’s cheeks warmed retroactively.

“All the time,” Jinyoung said, the sentiment still clear in his voice. 

“It’s his favorite way to introduce me,” Mark said, his smile returning.

Jinyoung laughed lightly and told Mark’s parents, “And Mark’s favorite way to introduce himself to my friends is ‘Hi I’m Mark, Jinyoung’s boyfriend’. The ‘man of my dreams’ was a new one, though. I liked it. ”

Mark gave a small smile, a little embarrassed that he was being exposed and also because his parents were laughing along. 

His dad said, “You two seem good for each other.”

Mark’s eyes lifted and found his fathers and smiled, “Thanks dad, I think we are good for each other.”

He knew that Jinyoung would get his parent’s approval. How couldn’t he? He was The Park Jinyoung afterall. Plus, anyone with eyes would see how well Jinyoung treats Mark. Parents couldn’t ask for a man to treat their son better. 

“So how long have you two been dating?” Sherry asked, sipping on her red wine.

Mark had gotten a glass too but when it was poured for him, he noticed Jinyoung watching with careful eyes. 

He looked at his mom with a proud smile, “Seven months since yesterday.”

“Seven?” Mr. Tuan said, looking surprised. Mark’s heart sank. Was he going to hear the same disapproving tone as before? Or perhaps the moving too fast talk that Mark had expected? Mark’s dad looked to his mom and said, “Sweetheart, it’s only been seven months. You made it sound like Mark had been keeping this from us for years!”

His eyes flashed and Mark looked between his parents with surprised curiosity.

Mrs. Tuan rolled his eyes, “Well he might as well have. Mark hasn’t let us meet any of boyfriends since he moved out. And now he has one that he’s so serious about that he told even his fans about. Before us if I may add.”

Mark sighed and he felt an arm move around the back of his chair. His eyes moved to look at Jinyoung before speaking up for himself. What he saw in that millisecond was unconditional love. Warm, steady eyes with the tiniest hint of worry looked back at him and Mark was thankful. 

He took a breath before saying, “Mom, I’m sorry okay? I didn’t tell you but I’m telling you now, isn’t that enough? Jinyoung will be a part of my life for a long time so I promise you can makeup for lost time.”

His mom frowned with a tinge of sadness, “Oh honey, I just wanted to be a mom. My only son falls in love and I didn’t know. I didn’t get to hear about your first date or the first time you thought you might be falling for him, or when you realized that you already had. I just want to be a part of you life.”

Now Mark’s frustration melted into more guilt. He didn’t realize that his mom cared about all that. “I’m sorry, mom. If it makes you feel any better, I fell for Jinyoung within a month of dating him. And then I told him after two, so you didn’t miss much.”

“You said it first?” Her surprised smile was heartwarming. Mark nodded, proudly, “I did.”

She smiled at him for a second before rounding on Jinyoung, “You said it back, right?” 

Mark heard the familiar sound of Jinyoung’s soft laughter, “Of course. I was seconds away from saying it myself.”

Jinyoung looked at Mark’s parents and with a steady voice said, “Your son really came into my life at the wrong time. I was filming everyday and all day and I was struggling with the character I was playing. I had no time for a boyfriend, but Mark somehow squeezed his way in. He made falling for him easy. And I’m so grateful that he loves me back.”

His boyfriend’s eyes settled back on him and Mark felt his expression soften. He felt like a pile of mush under Jinyoung’s eyes and words. He meant to speak at a normal volume but all that came out was a soft whisper of, “Babe…”

Jinyoung’s eyes shined until Mark’s mom said, “And now you live together?”

“And now we live together,” Mark affirmed. 

She smiled and said, “I would have thought it was too soon, that this was all just puppy love but seeing it with my own eyes I can’t deny that you’re happy.”

“Thank you,” Mark said, beaming. That was what he had hoped his mom would have concluded. “We moved in together this month and it’s been great so far.”

Next to him, Jinyoung nodded, “You were practically moved in already.”

“You’re right,” Mark replied, grinning. 

“Well, I for one don’t care how long it took you to tell us,” Mark’s dad declared. “My son is happy and it seems like he’s in good hands so that’s all I care about.”

Mark’s eyes shined with happiness. That was all he wanted to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it took me so long to finally be happy enough with this. 
> 
> please let me know what parts were your favorite so I can write more of what you want. I have a lot more of this story to share with you ♡♡♡


	16. Chapter 16

After what felt like a million interviews, Mark could finally go back to finalizing the album and Jinyoung could go back to finishing his movie. Although his and Jinyoung’s part was done, he then Mark had to step up to the plate with his band and promote the album. He even had to go to some of the very same places and get interviewed about the album by some of the same people from before.

It was exhausting, but Mark was proud of this album. He wanted to talk about it. He wanted to get the word out and to be able to focus on just his band. Mark didn’t like that he took Jinyoung away from his job nor that he couldn’t be there for when his band was cleaning up the demos for their album.

They asked if Mark wanted them to wait for him before continuing to record the finished songs. But Mark didn’t want to put them behind schedule. He didn’t want his band to have to suffer because of his own issue. Luckily, they finalized songs that Mark hadn’t been the primary writer for so when he went back after the media blitz for him and Jinyoung, Mark felt like he hadn’t missed much. 

He was just glad that his friends did all this without complaint. They really seemed to be understanding of the whole situation and Mark was forever grateful. 

With the public reacting well, Mark felt relieved. There were, of course, some people who complained that Mark was throwing his sexuality in their face by being too affectionate with Jinyoung. He was also accused of using his relationship to stir up reactions for promotion of the album. And then there was just the classic homophobic remarks. 

All of these bothered Mark. At the beginning, he found himself scrolling through comments and replies and tags any time he had a free moment. He knew he shouldn’t have, it was something he had always been advised against but unfortunately Mark cared. He wanted to know what people were saying about him. 

Partially because he wanted people to like him and his relationship because he didn’t want to damage Jinyoung’s reputation. Jinyoung was an A list actor, a household name. He had been in the game for almost ten years. Mark didn’t want to taint his image. While the band picked up a lot of steam in the recent years, Mark still wasn’t on the same level as Jinyoung. He didn’t want to be accused of riding Jinyoung’s fame. He didn’t want to see people thinking that Mark wasn’t good enough for Jinyoung. 

He just wanted to be able to show his love for Jinyoung publically and to have this love be accepted and seen as valid. 

Jinyoung saw his reactions to these comments, listened to his rants about what people were saying and eventually learned that Mark just wanted someone to talk at. At first, Jinyoung tried to tell Mark that it was fine, that these comments didn’t mean anything but that only added to Mark’s frustration. And trying to fix Mark’s problems definitely didn’t get Jinyoung anywhere. 

Mark felt horrible being snippy and raising his voice at his boyfriend, but Jinyoung wouldn’t stop trying to fix everything. But the reality was that nothing could fix this. People were going to be negative. They were going to spew lies. They were going to be hateful and Mark couldn’t do a thing about it. 

After giving Jinyoung the cold shoulder, Mark couldn’t stand it and he would always drag himself back into his boyfriend’s arms. There, he would whisper how he didnt mean it and that he was just frustrated. And Jinyoung would stroke his hair and say that he knew and that he wasn’t mad at Mark. Doing this a few times had both of them realizing that Mark just needed a sounding board, just someone to listen to him. And Jinyoung had no problem doing just that.

 

But then the album came out. 

And it was a mixed bag of reactions. Some praised Ruby Atlas for their best album yet, saying that they broke out of their shell and this was their most honest album to date. Others blatantly hated it, saying that it was too mainstream and that Ruby Atlas just wanted to become more popular. 

There was a lot of love sent their way and Paris, the previously leaked song, charted incredibly well. It was being played on radio stations everywhere and while they had already broke into the Top 40 with past releases, this was definitely their best seller. With more airplay came new fans and it was obvious that the band gained a bigger following with the public watching the development of Jinyoung and Mark’s relationship. So while there was a good amount of negativity, the positivity outweighed it. 

And at the end of the day, that was all Mark could ask for. 

What sucked about albums was that they take a lot of interviews and radio shows. But if the ablum is doing really well, it get worse. Every radio wants an on-air acoustic session. Every late night program wants a performance. Everyone wants an interview to hear how the album came to be. Although, Mark didn’t mind doing an interview with puppies. That one he was fine with. 

But most just wanted to talk about Paris. Mark couldn’t believe he had to explain the song so many times. Perhaps the person asking the questions thought that if they asked Mark again, “So what’s the deal with Paris?” that maybe they’d get some new insider info. But what really happened was that Mark and the band had the answer down to an exact science.

A splash of sob story, a drop of heartfelt and a pinch of comedic effect later and the story of Paris was born. 

“Yeah Mark, what is the deal with Paris?” Bambam flashed his eyes across the table at the redhead in question. At this point, Bambam was thankful that his song didn’t get picked for the single so he wouldn’t have to answer the same question over and over again.

But this wasn’t just about a single, this was about a love story.

“You played it first in Paris, right? And that’s why, I’m assuming, the song is called Paris?” The MC, one of Mark’s favorites, asked. 

Mark smiled, “Yes, I named it Paris because that date in Paris was special. It all came together that night.”

Lead in with a hook and it will have listeners as well as the interviewer asking for more, “How so?”

“Well, we were asked to write a single while on tour and so of course my instinct was to write a song about my boyfriend, Jinyoung,” Mark started the story. “The whole tour I was just writing songs about Jinyoung because he was all I could think about. At the time of the tour, I hadn’t really seen him in over a month, almost two and the only time he could come see me on tour was in Paris.”

“But then he didn’t show up,” Yugyeom inserted and Mark smiled at him. This story really was well rehearsed by now.

“He didn’t?” The MC said, surprised. By now, most had seen the video of the first time the band played Paris and the common thought was that Mark had run off stage because of Jinyoung.

“Nope,” Jackson said with a smile. “Mark kept pretending he wasn’t freaking out before the show but we could all tell it was eating him up inside.”

“So we go on stage to perform and our manager, Zack, had to pry Mark’s phone out of his clammy hands because Mark was holding onto the hope that Jinyoung would text him to explain,” Bambam added, continuing the story. The group had settled on exaggerating a little bit. “But he doesn’t and we have to start the show. And Mark plays horribly.”

“I hadn’t seen him play this bad in years,” Yugyeom commented.

Jackson nodded, agreeing. “He’s missing notes, forgetting words, not even looking at the crowd---”

“Alright we get it! I was mess!” Mark cut him off and the MC laughed.

“This goes on for a while but then out of the corner of my eye I see movement,” Bambam paused to let the MC react. He leaned in slightly, waiting for Bambam to continue. “And there I see the man of the hour, Jinyoung. He was watching Mark, looking so worried. It was like a scene out of one of his movies.”

“And then I keep seeing Bambam look over at me and I’m trying my hardest to pretend like I haven’t noticed because I thought Bam was going to scold me for playing so badly,” Mark explained. A soft smile blooming across his lips. His eyes shined as he said, “But instead, I see my boyfriend. And I just drop everything and run to him, forgetting completely that I’m supposed to be playing a show.”

“He jumps into Jinyoung’s arms and kisses him for like five minutes and we’re all on stage like ‘uhhh we’re kind of in the middle of something, what are you doing?’” Jackson says.

“It was so cute though! Mark missed him so much,” Yugyeom cooes and Mark can’t help but grin. It was always good hearing his friends support his relationship. 

“I come back on stage and I had this song that I really wanted to be the single and everyone was onboard with it except for Bam who thought it was too cute,” Mark explained and then smirked at Bambam as if it was his first time saying this. “So with all the adrenaline of seeing Jinyoung after such a long time, I decide to play the song. It ended up becoming the single and I somehow got away with making out with my boyfriend in the middle of a show. It was a win-win for me.”

The MC cracked a smile and nodded, “That does seem like a pretty good deal. But what happened? Why wasn’t he there earlier?”

“Oh his flight was delayed, no big deal,” Mark said with a shrug. “I was more worried about him than upset with him. The second I saw him any irritation from before completely vanished.”

“It sounds like you really love him,” The MC mentioned.

“Mark is so in love with Jinyoung that it hurts to be in the same room as them,” Jackson said with a smirk. “You see the way they look at each other and you just start puking rainbows and puppies.”

“They’re the couple that everyone says they hate but are secretly jealous of because it’s just so obvious how much they love each other,” Yugyeom said with a soft smile. His eyes drifted over to Bambam for a second before looking away quickly. 

“Are we jealous though? Their PDA is always off the charts,” Bambam said back and Yugyeom frowned.

Mark decided to step in with a smile, “You know Bam this might be a crazy new concept for you but some people actually like affection.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Bambam grinned back.

 

They all had it down when it came to promotions: hype up Mark’s relationship but also keep everything centered about the album. And it was working well, but then it was the 4th of September and Mark really didn’t want to get out of bed to do more album promotions. 

He was passive aggressively mad at his label for scheduling the album to come out right before his birthday. Couldn’t they have scheduled it for after his birthday? When he told Jinyoung that he was working on his birthday, his boyfriend frowned and said that they could still do something small. 

But since then Jinyoung hadn’t mentioned his birthday at all. And while Mark tried to brush it off, Jinyoung was busy too afterall, he couldn’t help but find himself disappointed. Jinyoung showed him how much he loved Mark every single day, but somehow Mark still wanted more of him. Mark wanted his birthday to be special. But it was turning into something very not special.

The night before Jinyoung told him that he had to leave early to film some extra scenes and Mark’s heart sank even more. Call him ungrateful but Mark had at least looked forward to getting morning sex on his birthday. And now he wasn’t even getting that.

Mark sighed and pulled the covers closer to him. They still smelled like Jinyoung but the bed was no longer as warm. He missed that warmth. But mostly, he just missed Jinyoung. 

A flash of a memory came back to him and with hazy eyes, Mark remembered a kiss to his forehead and a hand cupping his cheek. A warm hand. A hand that Mark could recognize the touch of anywhere. And then a quiet whispering of, “Happy birthday, baby. I love you so much.”

He felt his heart flutter to life and smiled softly to himself. It wasn’t like Jinyoung hadn’t forgotten his birthday, it was just that neither of them had time to celebrate it. Mark felt more content with that fact after remembering the tenderness of his boyfriend’s words from earlier than morning.

With another sigh, this one lighter and more happy, Mark pulled back the sheets and started to get ready. Jinyoung had the car today so he had a driver sent over for Mark’s schedules that day. 

Traffic was horrible as always so Mark found himself falling asleep on the ride to wherever he was going. It occurred to him when he woke up that Mark didn’t actually know where he was going. Jackson said they had a schedule that day and the rest of his members voiced their dismay over having to work on Mark’s birthday, but Mark wasn’t sure if anyone ever told him what he was actually doing. 

Mark looked outside his window to try to get a sense of where he was. Maybe that would help him figure it out. He generally knew where most tv productions were, as well as radio stations. If they were going to a warehouse or anywhere else, it was probably a photoshoot. 

But instead what Mark saw were airplanes. Surely they weren’t doing a photoshoot at the airport, right? By the looks of it, Mark was being driven through a private airport. All the planes were on the smaller side, more like private jets than big commercial planes. If the photoshoot wasn’t here, then where would he possibly go? Why would he need to leave LA?

The car rounded a corner and Mark was almost too busy looking out through the other window to notice the scene before him. He saw the color first. The pink, blue, yellow, orange, green all got his attention. As the car got closer, he saw that they were balloons. And that someone was holding them.

Mark’s lips spread into a wide grin he saw Jinyoung. The car came to a stop and Mark couldn’t unbuckle his seatbelt fast enough. He got out of the car and said, “Baby, what are you doing here?”

His boyfriend smiled, “What do you mean, love? It’s your birthday.”

“Yeah, but I’m working today,” Mark replied, his eyebrows furrowed. He looked around and saw no one else around. They were on the tarmac, airplane hangers on the left and the landing strip on the right. Behind Jinyoung was a private jet with stairs leading up to the door. “Where’s the band?”

Jinyoung grinned and took a step closer, the big bunch of balloons following him. He said softly, “They’re not here. It’s just us. You’ll see them later.”

But that didn’t make Mark any less confused, “I don’t get it. Why are we taking our own plane? Wouldn’t it just make more sense if we all took one? I mean we’re all going to the same schedule.”

At this, Jinyoung laughed, “Babe, there is no schedule. It’s your birthday, did you really think I wasn’t going to celebrate it with you?”

“I-I thought you said we were going to do something small like dinner,” Mark stammered.

Jinyoung shook his head and said, “Unless you consider taking a private jet to another city to celebrate your birthday small, then no we’re not doing something small.”

Mark stood there in shock, where were they going to go? What were they going to do? As much as he loved Jinyoung for trying to make his birthday extravagant, all he really wanted was a lazy day at home. He was a little scared of where they were going to go. Mark’s life has been so fast moving lately, he just wanted to relax. 

His boyfriend reached out for Mark to take his hand, “Come on, the plane’s taking off soon.”

He took the hand and let himself he led up the stairs and into the plane. Jinyoung led him to their seats and Mark eyed their shared suitcase. “Did you pack for us?”

Jinyoung hooked an arm around Mark’s neck and kissed his temple, “Of course, baby. Where we’re going requires a change of clothes.”

Looking down at his own ripped jeans and oversized shirt, Mark got nervous. His boyfriend must have noticed his frown because he said, “Love of my life, I can see you worrying but I promise you that you’ll like what I have planned. If you hate it, we can do whatever you want all day.”

Mark bit his lip and met Jinyoung’s eyes, “Well, what do you have planned?”

“If I told you then it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?” Jinyoung said, his eyes twinkling.

At least Jinyoung seemed confident, Mark thought. That made him feel better. Jinyoung didn’t get much wrong about Mark but he couldn’t help but worry that maybe Jinyoung was taking him to Vegas or somewhere busy and loud like that. 

Jinyoung let Mark sit next to the window and Mark focused on that as the plane took off. He felt his boyfriend rest his head on Mark’s shoulder and smiled. He looked back and kissed Jinyoung’s hair and squeezed his thigh. Jinyoung rubbed his cheek against Mark’s shoulder in response and Mark took a deep breath. There was no way that Jinyoung could get this wrong. His boyfriend was too thoughtful for that. 

Once they were in the air, Mark felt restless. He didn’t know what he should do with his time because he didn’t know how much time he had. So Mark asked, “How long is the flight?”

He felt Jinyoung’s smile, “I’m not telling you that.”

With a frown, Mark said, “Well do I at least have time to nap?”

His boyfriend considered this for a second before saying, “No probably not.”

“So no time for food either?”

“Nope, we’ll eat when we get there,” Jinyoung replied. 

Mark sat there confused, “Then what do we have time for?”

He felt a pair of lips on his neck, “I could think of a few things…”

“I don’t have time to nap but we have time for that?” Mark asked.

“I’m sorry am I hearing this right? Mark Tuan is turning down sex?” Jinyoung said sarcastically, his other hand sliding up Mark’s thigh.

“You act as if I’m the hornier one in this relationship,” Mark said as if he didn’t know what Jinyoung was talking about. But not so secretly he was enjoying the attention.

“That’s because you are,” Jinyoung laughed softly. His breath ghosting over Mark’s skin, giving him goosebumps. 

Mark felt the kisses become wetter and could feel himself getting hard. It definitely didn’t help that Jinyoung was already unbuttoning his jeans. His boyfriend sucked on his neck as he carefully pulled Mark out. He could hear the smirk in Jinyoung’s voice as his boyfriend stroked him, “See baby? You’re already hard for me.”

“That’s not fair,” Mark said, his grip on Jinyoung’s thigh tightening as he felt Jinyoung’s hand lazily slide up and down his cock. “Especially not when you’re touching me like this.”

“If you don’t want it, I’ll stop,” Jinyoung said in between kisses to his neck. “Just say the word.”

Mark definitely didn’t want this to end. He missed out on both morning sex and sex the night before because of Jinyoung’s so-called early schedule. Mark was deprived. He felt Jinyoung’s hand tighten around him and moaned, “Fuck it.”

And climbed into Jinyoung’s lap, straddling him. He saw Jinyoung’s wide, satisfied smile for a second before he brought his lips to Jinyoung’s. Not wasting a second, Mark slid his tongue in and kissed him hard. 

Barely a moment later, Mark was moving his hips. Jinyoung’s hand went missing from his cock and he wanted it back. He felt Jinyoung smile into his lips and then a hand was brought between them, stroking Mark once again.

Mark moaned into his mouth and Jinyoung said against his lips, “You like it when I touch you like this, don’t you baby?”

He nodded and thrusted into Jinyoung’s hand to gain a little more friction but his boyfriend’s hand loosened. “But you want more than this.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a statement, and a correct one at that.

“Please,” Mark whined, unhappy he wasn’t getting touched the way he wanted. 

It did the trick as Jinyoung smile and said, “Take off your pants.”

And Mark did just that, climbing back into Jinyoung lap as soon as he could. His boyfriend must have grabbed lube within that time because soon enough Mark had wet fingers rubbing against his hole. 

One hand resting on Jinyoung’s chest and another on the side of his boyfriend’s face, Mark leaned in for another kiss. He whined when he felt a finger slip past his entrance, his lust growing. Mark reveled in the feeling of Jinyoung’s lips on his. He loved the soft, familiar lips pressing into his, the ones that knew just what Mark liked.

He felt his lip being nipped at and smiled, kissing Jinyoung harder. Mark loved this. The passion, the excitement, the playfulness, it was all exactly what he wanted. But he of course got impatient. 

Mark rocked back on Jinyoung’s fingers, hoping to get them to rub against where he wanted. Jinyoung pulled away from their kiss and brushed his thumb against Mark’s jaw. With a warm smile and dark eyes, Jinyoung said, “Someone’s eager. Have you ever had sex on a plane?”

Mark shook his head, staring into Jinyoung’s eyes with blown-out pupils. “I want you.”

“You want me?” Jinyoung purposefully grazed his fingers over the spot that Mark wanted touched the most. 

Mark whimpered, “Please, oh my god.”

He hoped his boyfriend wouldn’t tease him too much, Mark missed him. It felt silly considering that they lived together. Even if they were away from each other all day like they had been for the last week or so, they always came back to the same bed together. But even though, Mark couldn’t help but long for Jinyoung. 

Jinyoung smiled at him, affection pouring through his features. “Alright, baby. You can have me.”

It made Mark smile that maybe Jinyoung was going through the same thing. That he probably felt that longing too. Mark wondered if Jinyoung had been looking forward to this day that he planned to spend with Mark. 

Fingers were removed and then Jinyoung held the base of his cock, looking up at Mark in invitation. Mark had no problem lifting himself up and aligning Jinyoung with his entrance. He slid down with ease, eyelashes fluttering at the feeling of being filled. 

And then it was just him and Jinyoung. The fact that they were mid-flight, hovering thousands of miles above land didn’t phase Mark at all. He was lost in the bubble that was him and the man of his dreams. 

He felt Jinyoung start to thrust up into him and Mark wrapped his arms around Jinyoung’s shoulders. Wet lips were kissing along his jaw and Mark felt like he was in heaven. And with being this high up in the sky, he was probably pretty close to it. Mark smiled to himself and let Jinyoung spoil him.

Arms were wrapped around his back and Mark felt warm and happy. His chest was touching Jinyoung’s and he loved it. He could feel Jinyoung’s heart beating against his and somehow Mark felt grounded, despite physically being the total opposite. Jinyoung was his home. 

One hard thrust after another and Mark was spilling moans from his lips. “Shit babe, yes.”

Jinyoung was tucked underneath his jaw, kissing down his neck. Everything felt warm and hazy to Mark. He knew his eyes were probably all blown out and clouded, over taken with desire. 

Mark loved that he didn’t have to ask for anything. Jinyoung knew him so well. He knew what every moan, every touch meant. So when Mark’s moans got whinier, Jinyoung fucked him harder. “Fuck oh my god, oh shit.”

He arched his back, letting Jinyoung thrusts hit a new angle. To Mark, Jinyoung felt deeper than he already was. He couldn’t help but moan louder or to tighten his arms around his boyfriend, feeling needier by the second. 

He closed his eyes and just focused on Jinyoung. Mark felt his lips and teeth against this neck, the way that Jinyoung’s gripped his ass and the incredible slide of Jinyoung thrusting in and out of him. By now, his boyfriend was hitting him dead on and Mark’s moans were no more than a whimpering mess. 

Jinyoung’s hand wrapped around Mark’s cock, stroking him to the same pace as his hips and Mark felt his heart pounding in his chest. His boyfriend whispered under his ear, “You feel so good, baby fuck.”

The simple praise had Mark gripping Jinyoung tighter. “Yes, babe fuck--- shitshitshit.”

And Mark’s eyes were rolling back as he came into his boyfriend’s hand. Jinyoung fucked him through the high and came himself. Mark leaned into his boyfriend to catch his breath. Even though he technically didn’t do anything, Mark’s orgasm hit him hard. 

After a few moments, Jinyoung’s kissed his cheek and said, “Welcome to the mile high club, baby.”

Mark grinned at the cheesiness, “Thanks for the invitation.”

“Anytime, love.”

Before getting up and getting back into his clothes, Mark sat there and enjoyed the comfort of his boyfriend for just a little longer. Jinyoung’s didn’t seem to mind too much as he just held Mark, rubbing his back from time to time.

 

As the plane started to descend, Mark watched closely out the window and then said, “We’re still in California.”

“Yep,” Jinyoung responded, checking his phone for the time. 

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Mark pleaded, trying for his best puppy dog eyes.

They unfortunately had no effect on Jinyoung as his boyfriend just smiled and pecked him on the lips, “Nope.”

Mark frowned.

 

As they drove away, Mark noticed a sign for the San Jose airport. He turned to Jinyoung, “Are we in San Jose?”

His boyfriend nodded and Mark felt accomplished for figuring it out but then Jinyoung smiled like he was amused and said, “But this isn’t our destination.”

Mark slumped in his seat. He wasn’t ever going to figure this out. The drive seemed long to an awaiting Mark and he eventually fell asleep. It wasn’t until he felt Jinyoung’s hand shaking his thigh that he sprung awake. “We’re here, baby.”

His eyes widened as he looked out the window to see a large Mediterranean style house. It was covered in stucco and stone with curved arches and columns, it was regal to say the least. 

“A house?” Mark questioned.

“Not just a house, love,” Jinyoung said with a wide smile. Mark could tell he was excited but he didn’t know why yet. 

Once they got outside, Mark realized it. He heards waves crashing and smelt the salt in the air. He even lifted his nose in the air to get a better sniff when Jinyoung put his arm around him and said, “You’re like a cute little bunny.”

Countering him, Mark said, “I’m your cute little bunny.”

He saw Jinyoung’s lips turn up at the sides, blossoming into a gorgeous smile, “You’re right. Now let me show you what you’ve been waiting for.”

Jinyoung took his hand and led him inside. Instantly, Mark saw through the windows at the other end of the house. His eyes widened and said, “We’re on the beach?”

With a grin, Jinyoung nodded and took him to the back patio. Mark’s curious eyes spied a surfboard and looked back at Jinyoung for reassurance. His boyfriend’s eyes were warm as he said, “You’ve been so busy, love, I figured you could use a break from the outside world. I rented out this house so you could surf all day.”

Mark’s heart swelled, this was exactly what he wanted. A full day of surfing and relaxing on the beach? Plus his boyfriend was probably going to be shirtless? It was best thing Mark could think of. He turned to his boyfriend and placed his hands on either side of Jinyoung’s face, kissing him with all the affection he could. He wanted Jinyoung to know how much this meant to him.

“Thank you,” Mark said with sentimental eyes. “Really, thank you. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift.”

“You’re welcome, baby,” Jinyoung said softly, his arms holding Mark to him. “But this isn’t your present.”

With wide, surprised eyes, Mark replied, “It isn’t?”

“No.” Mark’s jaw hung open. He couldn’t believe it. His boyfriend seemed to get a kick out of how surprised Mark was. “It’s your birthday, baby. Of course I’m going to spoil you.”

“But this must have been so expensive,” Mark said. He always felt weird when Jinyoung spent money on him.

His boyfriend only shrugged, “Money isn’t important. Seeing you happy is.”

A kiss was pressed into his cheek and Jinyoung smiled at him before turning away, “Oh and we’re in Santa Cruz, by the way.” 

After a second of shock, Mark said, “Wait! Where are you going?”

“To put away our stuff. Don’t you want to get changed?” Jinyoung asked, nodding to the ocean.

Mark put two and two together: Oh. So they could swim. That must have been what Jinyoung meant by Mark needing to wear something different that day.

 

He followed Jinyoung up the stairs to the master bedroom. Looking around at the decadent house and eyeing the large chandelier, Mark asked, “Isn’t this house a little big for just the two of us?”

“Yeah,” Jinyoung said carelessly. 

Mark furrowed his eyes, he felt like he was missing something. Jinyoung pushed open the double doors to their room and said, “That’s why your friends are coming over tonight.”

He couldn’t believe his ears. Mark could barely get a grip that he was hundreds of miles away from home, nonetheless all the surprises that Jinyoung had set up for him. “And Jaebum, of course. I figured that was okay.”

“For sure,” Mark said absentmindedly. His eyes were focused on the large bed in front of him. He couldn’t stop his mind from thinking about what he could do with all that space. 

He heard Jinyoung laughing next to him, “Already?”

Heat rose to Mark’s cheeks and he shook his head, “No, not yet.”

“I took you here to surf but I wouldn’t mind fucking you all day if that was what you wanted,” Jinyoung smirked playfully.

Mark felt his cock twitch but shook his head again, “You can fuck me all day anyday. Today I want to surf.”

Jinyoung took off his shirt and kissed Mark’s cheek, “Alright, baby. Let me know if you change your mind.”

He watched Jinyoung take off more clothes to change, still not moving. He couldn’t help but stare at his beautiful boyfriend. His tan skin was flawless, toned in all the right places. Mark’s eyes roamed over Jinyoung’s broad shoulders and then flickered over to his arms. He saw how big Jinyoung’s arms were and thought about how strong they were. How they picked him up with ease.

Jinyoung eyed him curiously and Mark flushed again. Fluttering his eyes down, Mark took off his shirt. 

“What?” Jinyoung laughed, clearly having noticed Mark’s stares.

“You’re just really hot,” Mark said with pink cheeks. 

“Well then I guess I should hurry up and get in the ocean so I can cool off,” Jinyoung said with a smirk.

Mark rolled his eyes as he reached into the suitcase to grab his swimwear, “The dumb jokes have returned.”

“You know you love them,” Jinyoung quipped with a grin.

“Maybe,” Mark replied, pulling his shorts on.

He saw Jinyoung with an eyebrow raised and smiled. Mark wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s neck, pecked his lips and then said, “But I know I love you.”

Jinyoung smiled back at him and leaned in for a kiss.

 

Just as planned, Mark surfed for hours. Sometimes Jinyoung joined him in the water, but for most of it he was on the beach reading. It felt domestic in a way. They were spending Mark’s birthday together but weren’t all over each other. Instead they were doing their separate things that that love in proximity of each other. Mark felt like that was enough.

As the sun started to go down, Mark took a break and headed for land. He noticed that Jinyoung wasn’t on the beach anymore. When did he leave? Mark tried to think back to the last time he saw Jinyoung but couldn’t. The hours blended together. He had no idea what time it was. 

Mark decided that it was probably time to go inside then. He walked up the steps to the house and noticed that the grill was smoking. He rinsed himself off in the outdoor shower, making sure he wasn’t tracking sand into the house, and set the surfboard against the side of the house.

When he walked inside, the kitchen was in view and Mark saw Jinyoung at the countertop cutting up some vegetables. “You’re making dinner?”

Jinyoung glanced up and as soon s his eyes met Mark’s, he smiled warmly, “Of course love. I’m making everything but the cake. Your friends are bringing that.”

Mark blinked a couple of times, impressed. But then he felt bad that he had been surfing while his boyfriend made dinner for him. He came up behind Jinyoung and rested the side of his face against his boyfriend’s clothed back. “You didn’t have to do that, now I feel bad.”

His boyfriend turned around in the embrace, leaning against the countertop. Mark felt his hair being stroked and smiled. Jinyoung said, “It’s not that hard to make burgers, love. And anyways, it’s your birthday. You deserve to be spoiled.”

Mark still frowned. Jinyoung always did so much for him. It made him feel guilty. But now wasn’t the time to bring that up so instead Mark said, “Thanks, babe. When’s everyone getting here?”

He saw Jinyoung glance up to the clock on the microwave, “In about 10 minutes. Did you want to go up and change?”

Mark looked down at his soaked swim trunks and nodded.

When he came back down, Mark saw Yugyeom, Bambam, Jackson and Jaebum all standing around the kitchen chatting animatedly with Jinyoung. It made his heart pound in his chest. He was thankful that his friends and his boyfriend got along so well. 

As he made it down the stairs, Jinyoung saw him and smiled. Mark felt like melting, he loved when Jinyoung looked at him like that, as if he was the only person in the room. After seeing Jinyoung’s change in expression, the rest of Mark’s friends turned to see him. 

In very Jackson fashion, Jackson grinned and said, “Took you long enough.”

“Fuck off, Jacks,” Mark said, his words having no bite to them. He smiled widely and hugged his best friend. 

To his surprise, Yugyeom said, “Oh we’re hugging now?” and hugged Mark from behind.

Mark started laughing and eyed Bambam who had his arms crossed. The guitarist rolled his eyes and joined in too. After a moment or two of shared laughter, the band broke apart. 

“You guys act like you haven’t seen each other in weeks,” Jinyoung pointed out, his eyes creased.

Bambam huffed, “I know it’s ridiculous.”

But Jackson clamped Mark on the back, “It’s not everyday that your best friend turns 25.”

Mark groaned, “Don’t say it, I feel so old.”

Grinning at his boyfriend’s reaction, Jinyoung said, “25 isn’t old, love.”

“Yeah you say this now, wait another year and it’ll hit you,” Mark replied with a frown.

Jackson pretended to pull out a microphone and gestured it to Jinyoung, “So Jinyoung, how does it feel dating a grandpa?”

“Oh it’s great. He has a surprisingly high sex drive for being a grandpa,” Jinyoung grinned at Mark who scoffed.

Pointedly, Mark said, “You’re the one who initiated it today, you can’t pin that on me!”

“Really? Because I’m pretty confident I could pin you down anywhere,” Jinyoung smirked.

“And with that lovely imagery, I think it’s time for dinner,” Jackson said and Bambam pretended to gag. 

 

“Here, babe,” Mark said, his hand extended for Jinyoung. His boyfriend’s eyes flashed with joy as he saw the marshmallow being handed to him.

“I thought we were all out,” Jinyoung replied as Mark took his spot next to him. 

Mark shook his head, “No, someone was just hoarding them.”

He looked pointedly to Yugyeom and Jackson. Yugyeom looked guilty, but Jackson looked smug. Jinyoung kissed his hair and put an arm around Mark, “Thank you, baby.”

A smile spread across Mark’s lips as he poked his marshmallow with his stick, “Don’t thank me, thank Jaebum. He’s the one who found Jackson’s stash.”

“I wasn’t hoarding them, thank you very much,” Jackson claimed. 

“You were just keeping them nice and safe behind you where no one else but you and Yugyeom could see?” Jaebum countered and Jackson didn’t look happy to be called out by his boyfriend.

“You’re supposed to be on my side!” Jackson exclaimed with a pout. Jaebum pulled Jackson closer by his waist but Jackson tried to resist it. Eventually Jaebum won and the drummer let himself melt into the side of his boyfriend.

“That’s what I always say!” Mark agreed. Out of the corn of his eye he saw Jaebum and Jinyoung exchange looks.

“I guess we’re not good enough boyfriends,” Jaebum said, pretending to pout. 

“Apparently,” Jinyoung laughed, holding his stick out so that his marshmallow would roast over the fire.

Mark smiled and leaned his head on Jinyoung’s shoulder, repling dramatically, “I guess we’re just not meant to be.”

“For someone who jokes about breaking up with me all the time, you sure do seem to love me,” Jinyoung said, putting his arm around Mark. 

“Don’t misunderstand, I’ve actually hated these last seven months with you,” Mark said with a mischievous smile.

“Oh really? Because it somehow doesn’t seem like it at all,” Jinyoung said, twirling his marshmallow in the fire to make sure it was roasted all the way around.

“It’s been the worst,” Mark exaggerated. “Couldn’t you tell by how much I clearly hate being around you?”

“I must have missed it,” Jinyoung smiled, grabbing graham crackers and two pieces of chocolate to dress the marshmallow he just roasted to a perfect golden brown. He sandwiched the marshmallow in between his chocolate and crackers. Mark’s mouth watered as he watched the chocolate melt on either side of the marshmallow.

And then the s’more was being offered to him and Mark looked to Jinyoung with wide eyes, asking for approval. His boyfriend grinned, “I know you want some.”

Mark took the s’more and bit down, not caring how much chocolate got over his hands or face. It was decadent and absolutely perfect. “You’re the best, I love you so much oh my god.”

He gave it back to Jinyoung, who was smiling at him. “I guess our relationship has been saved.”

Jinyoung reached out and wiped away all the chocolate from Mark’s face with his thumb and Mark smiled at him in gratitude, cheeks full. 

As it turned out, Jackson brought champagne. When he ran back inside to get it after Mark was stuffed full of marshmallows, Mark noticed Jinyoung looked surprised. Mark had to explain that they always drank champagne on each other’s birthdays. It was a tradition that they started when they were all still in college. 

They could only afford cheap champagne at the time but it still felt special to them. And then as the years went by and they got more money, they started buying more and more expensive bottles of champagnes. Though, after a while they realized that there wasn’t really much of a taste difference between super expensive champagne and just moderately priced bottles. Maybe there really was, but Mark certainly couldn’t taste it. 

Jackson delegated the champagne glasses to Jaebum, who handed everyone a glass of their own. And then the drummer tore away the foil and handed Mark the bottle, “Did you want to do the honors?”

Mark grinned and took the bottle from his best friend. As he started twisting the metal on the side of the cork to loosen it, he felt Jinyoung’s arm around him fall. His boyfriend cracked a nervous smile and said, “I feel like I’m going to end up being hit in the eye with that cork.”

Confused, Mark looked at where the bottle was pointing and saw that Jinyoung was in the direct line of tragedy with the bottle positioned where it was. His eyes got wide as sirens went off in his head. Mark repositioned the bottle so it wasn’t going to hit anyone and said, “Oh my god babe, I’m so sorry.”

He felt Jinyoung’s arm back around his waist, “It’s okay, I’m just glad I have both eyes now.”

Mark grinned at him and popped the cork. Luckily, it didn’t fizz everywhere and Mark got to pour a glass for everyone. 

Apparently bringing alcohol out meant that it was time to share embarrassing stories about each other. 

“Oh god, do you remember when we got our first dressing room to ourselves?” Mark said, already laughing and leaning into Jinyoung.

“When we were so excited to trash it because we thought we were big rockstars?” Jackson grinned as he poured himself a another glass. 

“You trashed a dressing room?” Jaebum asked, looking surprised. 

Jackson nodded and Bambam cut in, “But all we had to trash it with was fruit. And we were too scared to to do anything to the furniture.”

“While Jacks and Bambam were throwing bananas at each other and smushing them into each other’s faces, I realized that I didn’t know where Yugyeom went,” Mark said, explaining the story to Jaebum and Jinyoung. 

“I can’t believe you thought I went and snitched on you guys!” Yugyeom spoke up. 

“I couldn’t find you! It seemed like the only obvious answer!” Mark said back, laughing. 

“So where did he go?” Jinyoung asked, his arm snug around Mark. He felt safe in his boyfriend’s embrace. 

Mark laughed even harder as he tried to say, “I found him in the bathroom. He was too scared of making a mess so he threw the fruit against the shower wall.”

He felt Jinyoung laughing next to him, “That’s so cute, younger Yugyeom sounds so innocent.”

Yugyeom blushed and Bambam kissed his shoulder before laying his cheek against it and saying, “When Mark came out and told us what he did, we all laughed for about five minutes before feeling bad and cleaning up our mess.”

“Yeah so much for being big rockstars,” Jackson grinned, taking another sip.

“Aww, you are a big rockstar. Just a surprisingly considerate one,” Jaebum said and Jackson turned to look at him with shining eyes.

Mark felt at peace seeing all three of his best friends happy together with the ones they care about. 

Sometime in between telling a story about walking in on Jackson having sex with a girl in his bed and laughing about how Bambam buys a new toothbrush for every show on tour, Mark somehow managed to pour himself another drink. And it was hitting him. In the background, Yugyeom was telling Jaebum some bad story about Jackson but Mark wasn’t listening.

He was staring up at Jinyoung with a hazy smile. All he could think about was how much he loved his boyfriend. And how handsome he was and how cute the mole on his lip was.

“You think it’s cute, baby?” Oops. He must have said that last part out loud. Mark felt his cheeks warm and it wasn’t just the alcohol. He giggled and put a finger out to touch the mole in question. 

“I love it,” Mark said, his eyes sparkling. Jinyoung looked so pretty under the moonlight. The flames of the campfire warmed his complexion. “You look like fall.”

“I look like what?” Jinyoung laughed softly, his eyebrows raising.

Mark giggled some more, “You’re all warm and orange right now.”

He felt his boyfriend look at him weird and pouted, “Don’t look at me like that!”

“Don’t look at you like what?” Jinyoung asked. He looked like he found this funny.

“You don’t make any sense,” Mark said, he felt his face frown. And somehow Jinyoung only grinned wider.

“Baby, how did you have another glass without me seeing?” Jinyoung sighed softly and pulled Mark closer to his side. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mark decided to play dumb. He didn’t want Jinyoung to be mad at him. 

Mark just wanted to be close to Jinyoung. He got an overwhelming urge to sit in Jinyoung’s lap, so he did. He sat between Jinyoung’s legs and wrapped his arms around Jinyoung’s middle. Mark tucked his head under his boyfriend’s chin and rested his cheek on Jinyoung’s chest. He could feel Jinyoung chuckle at this, “Hi baby.”

Nuzzling his cheek into Jinyoung, Mark smiled. He felt so warm and happy. All he wanted was this. “Hi.”

He felt fingers run through his hair and Mark grinned. “How are you feeling, baby?”

“Good,” Mark slurred. 

From somewhere else, Mark heard Jackson ask, “Did he have another drink?”

Who was Jackson talking about? But Mark paid no attention to that, he leaned back and touched Jinyoung’s face. He smiled until he realized that Jinyoung’s gaze wasn’t on him. His boyfriend was smiling like he was trying not to laugh and looking at something behind him. 

“Yeah, I think so,” Jinyoung said. Mark frowned. He wanted his boyfriend’s attention.

Mark pulled Jinyoung’s face so that his boyfriend would look at him. Once Jinyoung did, Mark smiled widely. “You’re so handsome.”

“Not as handsome as you,” Jinyoung’s words dripped with kindness and affection. Mark’s skin felt warm. He felt a kiss to his forehead and fell into Jinyoung’s chest. Strong arms surrounded him and then Mark heard, “You must be tired, love. You surfed all day.”

He hadn’t thought about being tired but once Jinyoung said that, the weight of the day fell on Mark. His limbs felt heavy and Mark nodded. He didn’t know what time it was, but it must be pretty late at that point. The sun went down hours ago. 

“Do you want to go to bed?” Mark nodded again. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to sleep but he knew he wanted to cuddle.

He somehow made it up the stairs to the second floor where their bedroom was. As soon as he got there, he haphazardly took off his clothes and wormed his way under the covers of the bed. Jinyoung followed him into bed and Mark snuggled up to him. 

As his boyfriend pulled him to his chest, Mark heard, “I love you so much, baby.”

“I love you more,” Mark said, drawing out the syllables. Jinyoung laughed at him and then hugged him closer. 

“You make me so happy.” 

Mark smiled and closed his eyes, nuzzling into Jinyoung’s neck. A hand was grazing light over his back and Mark hummed at the touch. 

 

That was the last thing he remembered before waking up the next day. Mark noticed that his cheek was on a chest and glanced up to see that Jinyoung was already up. His boyfriend had flipped over onto his back, his fingertips traveling up Mark’s arm mindlessly. “Hi.”

Jinyoung looked down, his lips stretching into a smile, “Hi, love.”

“Is everyone still here?” Mark asked, remembering where they were.

“Yep,” Jinyoung answered. “I was just waiting for you to wake up before I went downstairs to start breakfast.”

Mark frowned, “By yourself?”

A kiss was pressed into his hair, “No, of course not. Everyone else is already awake.”

He felt heat rising to his cheeks, “Are they waiting on me?”

Jinyoung shook his head, “No, I just told everyone that we’d make breakfast at 10. It’s only 9:30.”

“Oh,” Mark said. He had time to shower at least. 

“Did you want your present now?” Jinyoung asked and Mark blinked. He had forgotten about that. “I was going to give it to you last night after dinner but then I got distracted and you were a little out of it so…”

Mark cringed, “I wasn’t too drunk, right?”

His boyfriend grinned as he shook his head, “No, you were very cute. You drunk is very similar to you tired. You just want to be close.”

He felt heat rising to his cheeks and then a thumb brushing over one of them. “So, present?”

“Mhm,” Mark nodded. He watched Jinyoung get out of bed and then search through his bag with curious eyes. What could his boyfriend possibly get him?

He saw Jinyoung take out a rectangular black box. As Jinyoung came closer, Mark could see that it was made of velvet. It was handed to him and Mark took it with surprise. It was clearly a jewelry box. 

He looked over to his boyfriend, who sat next to him again. Jinyoung said, “If you don’t like it, I can take it back. You don’t really wear many accessories so I didn’t have much to go off of.”

Hearing those words made Mark’s heart thump in his chest. He didn’t want to not like the gift but it also made him nervous because Mark had never received jewelry as a gift before. 

He opened the box to find a silver bracelet inside. It was a cuban bracelet with tiny diamonds encrusted into the links. It was thin, which Mark was thankful for. Flashy wasn’t exactly his middle name. But despite the amount of diamonds on it, the bracelet was rather simple. Mark felt a smile grow on his face and looked up to Jinyoung’s worried eyes, “I love it.”

Jinyoung exhaled, “Thank god, I went to like four jewelry stores.”

“Really?” Mark asked, picking up the bracelet. It was heavy and no doubt expensive. He tried to put it one with one hand but thankfully Jinyoung came to the rescue.

His boyfriend nodded, fiddling with the lock, “You’re always wearing my clothes and wanting to be close to me. I thought I would get you something to remind you of me no matter what you’re wearing or where you are.”

The sentiment was clear. Jinyoung finished with the lock and Mark brought his wrist up to his face for a closer look. Seeing the bracelet there made him smile. Mark’s eyes met Jinyoung’s and he said, “Thank you.”

Jinyoung’s smile was soft and warm and serious all at the same time. Mark could tell that Jinyoung giving this bracelet to him was meaningful. And he wanted to cherish his gift forever. 

Mark reached out to cup Jinyoung’s cheek. He leaned in and brought their lips together, kissing his boyfriend sweetly. It was just a thank you kiss but all of a sudden, Mark felt the back of his head hit the pillow and Jinyoung was leaning over him. The kiss never lingered from sweet and appreciative but it felt like something more now.

When they broke apart, Jinyoung looked down at him with all the affection in the world. He stroked Mark’s cheek gently and Mark found his heart skipping a beat. “You’re the best boyfriend I could have asked for.”

“The man of your dreams?” Jinyoung asked playfully.

Mark nodded, “The man of my dreams.”

Jinyoung leaned in again, this time the kiss as tender as could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there's going to be a time skip after this. And then from there on out, if everything goes according to plan, there will be large time skips until the end of this fic. I'm planning on maybe 5 more chapters??? unless of course that's too much


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a normal length chapter. I know, it's crazy. After super super long chapters I'm back with my originally planned chapter size (in case you were wondering, that is about 6-8k, which is in my opinion a perfectly sized chapter)
> 
> the song referenced is [drive](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atQtIBEOavs) by halsey. you don't have to listen to it but I figure it'll make the stage set up make more sense because the vibe of this song is weird to describe.

“So how important is this award show again?” Jinyoung asked, buttoning the cuffs of his shirt. 

His eyes scanned over his boyfriend who was sweeping back his bangs for the millionth time that night. They were supposed to be curving over the side of his head while the other side of his part was pushed back over Mark’s ear, a tantalizing but soft look. Jinyoung thought it fit Mark perfectly as that was exactly how he’d describe the man in question. Although, he liked when Mark’s fringe fell over his forehead messily the best. A light, carefree Mark was his favorite Mark.

His boyfriend’s eyes turned to slits as they slide over to meet Jinyoung’s playful ones. Mark rolled his eyes with a huff, “Only the most important award show in music. So clearly skippable.”

“Oh obviously,” Jinyoung smirked. Mark had been tense all day. However many times Jinyoung tried to fuck it out of him, his boyfriend would go back to chewing on his lip with furrowed brows within twenty minutes. 

It worried Jinyoung. He hadn’t seen Mark stressed like this since the album was about to come out. But this was worse. Jinyoung was trying to diffuse the tension in the air with a hint of comedy but apparently his boyfriend wasn’t buying it.

He moved behind Mark and pressed his lips the back of Mark’s neck, just above the collar of his shirt. Jinyoung’s arms moved to embody his boyfriend’s waist but Mark’s elbows got in the way. 

“Oh no you don’t,” Mark said with some firmness. “You are not trying that with me right now. If I get even a wrinkle in this suit I’ll kill you. And I am not going to redo this hair.”

“But you’re so tense, love,” Jinyoung noted, nuzzling Mark’s nape. He brought his arms back around Mark again and this time his boyfriend only sighed.

“I know, but I’m just nervous,” Mark replied. He looked into the mirror and met Jinyoung’s eyes with a hint of a smirk. “Unfortunately it seems that your dick can’t cure nerves.”

Jinyoung smiled back at him, “We can try.”

He watched as Mark frowned, “We already did try, many times actually.”

Jinyoung tightened his arms, gaining him a quick warning of, “Watch the suit.”

It made the corner of his lips turn down, but Jinyoung complied. He didn’t hold Mark as tightly as he would have wished, but just enough that Mark knew he was there. He sighed into Mark’s neck and said, “Fine, no sex. But at least let me be close to you. I know that makes you feel better.”

Mark couldn’t argue that. Just in the short time that Jinyoung had been hugging him, Mark’s heartbeat slowed from insanely fast to just slightly insane. 

All day Mark was on edge. It spread throughout the whole week but this day was by far the worst. Jinyoung didn’t know how to help his boyfriend. He knew it had to do with the award show, that much was obvious. Anytime Mark saw an advertisement for the show, he looked away and closed his eyes. Anytime someone mentioned it, Jinyoung saw his boyfriend’s mood physically change. 

He knew it was about the award show, but Jinyoung hadn’t wanted to ask what exactly was bothering him. Somewhere along the way of dating Mark, Jinyoung learned that Mark didn’t like to talk about things that were bothering him. He would drop little hints but never dove into the root of the problem until it all came spilling out. Jinyoung felt like now was the time for that.

“Love,” Jinyoung started hesitantly. Mark’s eyes looked into his automatically. “You don’t have to answer, but is there something specific you’re worried about?”

Mark looked away and Jinyoung could see him chewing on the inside of his lip. “Well… we’re nominated for Album of the Year and---”

“Wait what?” This was definitely news to Jinyoung. Album of the Year? Although Jinyoung didn’t know anything about the music industry he understood that this award show was basically the Oscars for music. Album of the Year? That had to be equivalent to Best Picture right? Which was a very, very big deal. 

He had no idea what Mark was nominated for, nonetheless if they were technically nominated at all. Jinyoung didn’t ask. He figured if his boyfriend was stressed, asking what Ruby Atlas was nominated for could be a huge taboo incase they weren’t actually nominated for anything. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Mark’s feelings. 

Mark tilted his head, a smile growing across his lips, “Babe, did you not know that? We’re nominated for Best Rock album, Best Rock song and then Album of the Year. Didn’t I tell you this?”

At this point, Jinyoung felt like his mouth had been open for so long that it was going to get stuck like that. Slowly he said, “Love of my life, you have three Grammy nominations and you’re nervous?”

“Well yeah, I mean what if we don’t win anything?” Mark replied with chagrin. A blush was rising to his cheeks. 

Jinyoung let his face fall into the back of Mark’s shoulder. He whispered, “Holy fuck, babe.”

“What?” He could hear the sheepish grin in Mark’s tone. 

“I love my talented, critically acclaimed boyfriend,” Jinyoung smiled. He looked up and saw Mark starting to smile for real. 

“I mean, we’ve never actually like, won a Grammy before so I’m not sure if you can say I’m critically acclaimed…,” Mark trailed off, his cheeks reddening. 

“I’m sure being nominated for three awards in one year is a pretty big deal,” Jinyoung assumed, he didn’t actually know. 

Mark looked down and then his eyelashes fluttered back up. In a voice barely louder than a whisper, Mark said, “Kind of.”

“I can’t believe you’re nervous, baby,” Jinyoung said. “I knew your album did well but I had no idea it did this well. I can’t believe you were about to let me walk in there not knowing you were nominated for three awards.”

“I thought I told you!” Mark said.

But Jinyoung shook his head and kissed Mark’s neck again, “I tried my best not to mention this show because I knew it was bothering you.”

His boyfriend smiled softly, raising his hand up to cup Jinyoung’s cheek, “You’re a saint, you know that?”

“No, I’m pretty sure I’m a sinner,” Jinyoung laughed light heartedly. “You know with being gay and all.”

“Hey, at least we’ll go to hell together,” Mark grinned. 

Jinyoung smiled back at him before his phone started buzzing. “That’s the alarm to leave.”

In front of him, Mark checked his phone and he saw that Mark had a text. “Yeah, the car is here. Do you have everything?”

Patting himself for his phone and keys, Jinyoung nodded. Mark turned around and kissed him softly. Jinyoung slid a hand up to cup his boyfriend’s cheek but apparently that wasn’t allowed because his hand got swatted away, “Nope, I’m not taking any chances. I spent too long to look this good.”

“You do look very handsome, love,” Jinyoung commented with an amused smile pulling at this corner of his lips.

Mark grinned and pecked his lips, “I know.”

He started walking out when Jinyoung scoffed and then quipped, “Alright babe, whatever. I don’t look amazing too, it’s fine.”

His boyfriend looked over his shoulder, shined a hundred watt smile and said, “You look dashing, babe.”

Jinyoung couldn’t help but grin. 

 

“Oh wow look at you two, all matching and cute!” Jackson said as Jinyoung and Mark entered the limo. The rest of the band was already there, Mark and Jinyoung’s was the second stop since they were closer to the venue than the band’s apartment was. 

Jinyoung grinned and saw Mark rolling his eyes, “We’re not matching, Jacks.”

“What are you talking about? You’re both wearing black suits!” Jackson tried to reason. 

Looking around, Jinyoung found Jackson’s statement entertaining, “We’re all wearing black suits though.”

Jackson let out an exasperated sigh, “Well sure, but you two are wearing bowties. None of us are wearing bowties.”

“Just because we decided to follow dress code doesn’t mean we’re matching,” Mark said, leaning into Jinyoung’s side. They sat across from Jackson, Bambam and Yugyeom. 

Hearing Bambam’s clicked tongue, Jinyoung looked over to the stylish guitarist. He dyed his hair silver recently and the sparkly suit complimented it nicely. 

“Excuse you, I’m perfectly up to code with or without a bowtie,” Bambam stated with an air of loftiness. “In fact I’m better dressed than all of you.”

“Well good for you, fancy pants. Not all of us like to drop an entire paycheck on an outfit but you do you, man,” Jackson teased with a smirk. Bambam narrowed his eyes at the drummer.

“Oh please, you didn’t even pay for that suit,” Bambam shot back. He always got defensive over his rather large and probably considered excessive by most wardrobe.

Jinyoung looked on with a small smile at the two band members fighting as Mark leaned his head on his shoulder. But only for a second before promptly straightening out his back. Jinyoung hooked his arm around Mark’s neck and said, “It’s only a twenty minute drive, baby. You won’t look like a wrinkled mess if you let yourself lean on me.”

His boyfriend looked at him with apprehension, probably debating on if Jinyoung was right or not, before moving head back down to Jinyoung’s shoulder. As he kissed Mark’s hair, which unfortunately did not feel as soft as it usually did with the gel, he felt a hand sneak onto his thigh. 

Jinyoung didn’t want to cling to Mark that night, he wasn’t even sure if he was supposed to actually be going in the first place. But apparently Megan as well as Alex thought it was a good idea, something about keeping the couple in the public’s eye, so Jinyoung went. His original plan was to just be close to Mark but to keep a safe distance and let the band have their moment. Mark seemed to have other plans and Jinyoung didn’t mind Mark leaning on him physically nor emotionally, so he didn’t say anything. 

But when they stepped out on the red carpet, Jinyoung felt out of place. The red carpet itself was a place he was very comfortable with. He knew how to charm photographers and interviewers but the fact was that this was not for him. When the band started walking to their first spot to take photos, Jinyoung felt himself lagging behind only to be pulled by Mark. He came along but let Mark’s hand go.

Mark immediately looked at him with questioning eyes but Mark didn’t have time to say anything because Yugyeom was pulling him closer for a group photo. The photographers were shouting for different poses and for the members to look at their cameras in every which direction. Jinyoung looked on with a proud gaze as he got to see how sought after his boyfriend was. 

He got lost in how handsome his boyfriend looked with his members and didn’t hear the sudden shouting for him. Jinyoung blinked a couple times before Mark was pressed up next to him with a big smile. Jinyoung slung an arm around Mark’s waist and gave a calculated smile, his usual red carpet one.

But then Mark turned to face him, putting a hand on his chest and Jinyoung couldn’t help but let his real emotions shine through as he looked down at his boyfriend. Mark’s eyes turned into half moons and Jinyoung leaned in to kiss his cheek. 

They kept doing the same thing over and over again as they moved down the carpet. Some groups of photographers asked for photos with Jinyoung and some didn’t. A couple even wanted Jinyoung with the band, which he felt weird about but after being waved over by the whole group, he complied. Between every round, Mark took his hand again. Jinyoung wasn’t sure if this was reassurance for him or Mark at that point.

 

When they found their seats, Jinyoung felt relieved that he did in fact have a designated seat. Apparently he really was supposed to be there. It was close to the stage, no doubt because Ruby Atlas was nominated for three awards. If they won something, Jinyoung thought it would probably be annoying for the networks broadcasting the event to wait ten minutes for the artist to finally arrive on stage for the award. 

Jinyoung felt optimistic about winning the award, not that he really had anything to do with it. But he felt like there was a pretty large chance that Ruby Atlas was going home with something. Based off their conversation in the car, the band all had different opinions on what artists would win what award.

“Our best chance is the Best Rock song award,” Yugyeom claimed, seeming firm in his answer. 

His boyfriend didn’t completely agree, “Now I know I’ve come around to Paris but do you really think we’d win over that boyband’s song? It charted for longer than us.”

“But Paris reached more people, it was covered by many,” Yugyeom insisted. “And it was always on the radio.”

“Still is,” Mark shakily commented. Jinyoung could hear from his voice that Mark was chewing on his cheek. He kissed Mark’s hair in response.

“I don’t know guys,” Jackson interjected. Leaning back in the seat, he claimed, “I just feel like our strong point is the album. Everyone said that we diverged from our past work, which was a bad thing for some but we were praised over and over again for a more ‘mature’ sound. I feel like the stuffy guys who decides these awards would appreciate a ‘mature’ sound.”

“The album is good, that’s almost undeniable,” Bambam agreed with a nod. 

“Almost,” Mark highlighted, his voice quiet.

The other members looked over to him with sad smiles. Jackson said, “You didn’t ruin the album, Mark. I know it keeps you up at night, but you didn’t.”

Bambam nodded again and said, “As much as I pushed back on all your love songs, they were the part of the album that did the best. The subject didn’t matter that much because the songs were good. You’re a good songwriter, Mark. You really stepped it up this time.”

Jinyoung was almost surprised at how supportive Bambam was being, but then at the same time he wasn’t. Bambam was cynical and always played devil’s advocate but Mark called him one of his best friends, clearly there was a reason to that. And this was it. Jinyoung noted that at the end of the day with all the differing opinions blew over, Bambam was still there for his friends.

It was rarity to see Bambam saying such positive words but he seemed to know exactly what to say because Mark said, “Thank you Bam. That means a lot.”

As the small moment passed, Jackson spoke up again, “I for one think we could win Album of The Year.”

Everyone turned to look at him with shocked faces. 

Jackson looked back at them unphased, “What? Jinyoung brought so much more attention to our band. We were talked about before but we became the talk of the town once Jinyoung was linked to us, thanks by the way.” 

Jackson nodded to him with a smile and the actor grinned, “Anytime.”

“Their relationship kick started our album promotion so our album went from highly anticipated to ‘Top 10 Predicted Best Releases of 2018’. And the album lived up to the hype, mostly. I mean you can’t always account for everyone, but we got invited to basically every single festival next year as headliners. We killed it guys. And the fact that Mark came out and then released an album about his relationship with one of the top actors in Hollywood? It’s an underdog story and love story all mixed into one.”

“You know if this band ever falls through, you should really be a salesperson,” Bambam said with a grin.

“Yeah, I’m sold,” Jinyoung said with a wide smile. Jackson matched it.

But Mark was apprehensive, “Okay we can all agree it was successful but is it really Album of the Year worthy? I’m happy with just Best Rock Album.”

Jackson waved his hand in the air, “No no, we’re above Best Rock Album. Let someone else have that.”

Jinyoung felt his eyes narrow in confusion, “Wait, if you get Album of the Year, you don’t think you’ll win the other two? Is that was I’m hearing?”

“Well we’re not Taylor Swift,” Yugyeom laughed.

“Yeah, babe. We’re lucky we’re even nominated at all. Winning all three? Out of the question,” Mark stated.

Looking from member to member, Jinyoung asked, “Is this self-deprecating like ‘oh no we could never win we’re not good enough’ or…?”

“It’s ‘that literally never happens unless you’re a big name, like really big name artist and we’re just not there yet,’” Bambam replied with a shrug. 

“Ah,” Jinyoung replied, still unsure if that was a biased opinion. 

But then again, his opinion on these awards were extremely biased. He thought the band should win everything. 

Sitting in their seats, Jinyoung started looking up the categories for tonight’s show. He gathered that it was going to be a long night when he saw that not only were there a very long list of awards to be given out, there were also performances. He blinked when he saw Ruby Atlas’ name on the list.

Nudging Mark, Jinyoung said, “Babe, you’re performing tonight?”

His boyfriend gave him a wide, amused smile, “You really have no idea what was happening tonight, do you?”

He shook his head and Mark laughed. “Is there anything else I should know about?”

“Besides the fact that halfway through the show balloons will be released from the ceiling and this whole theater will turn into a foam party? No, not that I can think of,” Mark said matter-of-factly.

Jinyoung was alarmed. He couldn’t tell if that was a real thing or not. For all he knew, it could be. He tried looking into Mark’s eyes but the familiar brown ones only poured into his own with confident stillness. Jinyoung’s eyes started widening at the thought that Mark might actually be telling the truth but then Mark’s eyes creased into lovable half-moons and he started laughing. 

“You actually believed me for a second, holy shit,” Mark claimed. He laughed a little too loud and a few people turned to look at them in curiosity. As he calmed down, Mark explained, “No, babe. Just think of it like the Oscars but with more performances.”

Jinyoung deadpanned. It wasn’t often that Mark pulled one over on him. With the two of them knowing each other better and better it became harder to fool each other. 

Seeing his boyfriend’s reaction, Mark made a pout and said, “Aw, baby don’t be mad at me. I promise I’ll fill you in and be truthful for the rest of the night.”

Smirking, Jinyoung had to ask, “Only for the rest of the night?”

“You’re surprised face is too cute, I can’t help myself,” Mark said with a smile.

“Is this what our relationship has become? Us trying to out-surprise the other?” Jinyoung said, referencing their birthdays and the recently passed christmas.

“Admit it, you thought I was going to get you a new watch,” Mark replied with his own smirk. 

Their now past christmas was still fresh in both of their minds as they frantically tried to keep their gifts to each other as secret as possible. Jinyoung had Alex help him to research and pick out the right model of bass for Mark and then cross referenced it with Bambam. He had the bass handpicked with Bambam’s suggestions based on what Mark had liked in the past. It was a vintage pink Fender bass with Mark’s classic “93” stickered on.

Although Jinyoung wimped out at the last second and instead kept the sticker as a separate part of the gift. He had been worried that it would be too much or that Mark would think that the bass was too special, too sacred to sticker anything onto it. But just like all of Mark’s other basses, Mark immediately took to putting the sticker on and repeating over and over that it was perfect.

While Mark had caught on fast that Jinyoung was working on something with his friends, Jinyoung was completely blindsided by Mark’s gift to him. Apparently Mark thought that his boyfriend was going to be just as sneaky as him and put a decoy Rolex box “hidden” on Mark’s side of the closet. Although it wasn’t really all that hidden. It was easily seen through the open crack of Mark’s drawer. 

Being the respectful person that Jinyoung is, he didn’t bother checking the box. He came to learn that it was actually empty and one of Jackson’s old boxes. Therefore, Jinyoung was incredibly surprised when Mark bought him a whole new set of luggage.

Not only were they clearly expensive and definitely name brand, but Jinyoung didn’t think he needed a whole set of luggage. He didn’t even know that there were this many sizes of suitcases. But Mark insisted that Jinyoung does too much for him and for once, Jinyoung deserved to be spoiled too. 

As it turned out, both of them were thinking ahead for tour. After wrestling with how much money Mark spent on him, Jinyoung made sure to be over appreciative to his boyfriend because if the two of them were going to share luggage for tour, they might as well have variants in sizes and types. Jinyoung may or may not have smothered his boyfriend in kisses telling Mark how thoughtful he was and how much Jinyoung loved him. 

“Yes okay, I thought I was getting a watch,” Jinyoung said dramatically, figuratively rolling over and letting Mark win. “Our anniversaries are about to be such messes if we’re both this determined to surprise each other.”

Mark grinned at him with a hint of smugness, “I already know what I’m getting you so you better have a good date planned.”

Raising his eyebrow, Jinyoung said, “Oh I’m the one planning this anniversary?”

Pretending like it was no big deal, either that they were talking about having multiple yearly anniversaries as if it was expected and not at all a big deal or that Mark just demanded that Jinyoung plan it, Mark said, “We’ll be on tour and I already thought of something that requires us not to be on tour so this one is yours.”

“So we’re switching off on anniversaries?” Jinyoung tried to confirm with a playful smirk. He had absolutely no issue with that. Jinyoung had even less of an issue with the fact that he was so comfortable with the idea of being with Mark for years to come.

Nodding, Mark said, “I think that’s fair.”

“Glad you gave me so much notice, love,” Jinyoung said just to give Mark shit. 

“You love me,” Mark smiled widely and leaned his head on Jinyoung’s shoulder.

“Unfortunately,” Jinyoung said with a shake of his head, eyes flickering down to meet Mark’s with a warm expression. 

“Hey lovebirds, the show is about to start so if you gotta pee now’s the time,” Jackson stated. 

Jinyoung looked up to see the rest of the band standing and decided to go with them.

 

The first half of the show was rather boring. Just a bunch of artists he didn’t know but judging by the insane amount of cheers, everyone else seemed to know. Jinyoung even caught the band cheering for certain artists and singing along to more than a few performances. 

When it came time for the Rock category, Mark’s hand was firmly holding Jinyoung’s. But when the song category came and went, going to some other group that apparently Ruby Atlas was friends with, Mark’s hand went from firm to squeezing. It felt like the air was completely still when the presenter read off the script for Best Album. 

Jinyoung was holding on just as tight but then the moment came and went. Clapping ensued and the band didn’t stand up. Someone else won Best Rock Album. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Ruby Atlas didn’t win for two out of three of their nominated awards. 

But Jinyoung wasn’t the only one disappointed. Mark’s hand let go of Jinyoung’s and he slumped in his seat, apathetically clapping for the winners. Based on Mark’s pessimism for getting an award at all, Jinyoung thought that Mark must have assumed that his chances for winning were over. Album of the Year was out of question to him.

Knowing that Mark gets snippy when his emotions are running high, Jinyoung put his hand on Mark’s thigh and kissed his hair. He thought it was better than trying to remind Mark that there was still one award left. 

Soon a staff member was whispering to them that they had to leave to set up for their performance. Mark frowned at the news and went to get up, but Jinyoung pulled him into a quick kiss. 

“Don’t think about it, love,” He said. His words barely registering with Mark’s unemotional face. “Just think about me, okay?”

A small smile tugged at the corners of Mark’s lips and he nodded before leaving with the rest of the band. 

 

Jinyoung waited silently by himself as multiple awards to given out. There were artists next to him but the four empty spots on the other side loomed. There was apparently a commercial break as the stage was set up for Ruby Atlas to play next. 

He felt a spike of excitement hit him as he knew that his boyfriend was about to perform soon. He wondered if he would get bored watching, as Mark suggested. Seeing Mark perform here and there was nothing compared to watching the same show night after night for months on end. Jinyoung hoped he wouldn’t get bored. 

Next to him, someone said, “Do you think they’ll win?”

Jinyoung didn’t know it was him being as the question until he realized he was being stared at. Looking to his right, Jinyoung saw a couple people looking at him waiting for an answer. 

“Win?” Jinyoung asked.

“Album of the Year,” A different person, a girl asked. 

“Oh,” Jinyoung blinked. Being truthful, he said, “I’m not sure. Jackson thinks they have a chance but Mark doesn’t. I don’t really know, but I hope so.”

“I hope so too,” The girl said with a beaming smile. “I didn’t really know who they were until you and Mark started dating but they’re really talented. All my friends like them.”

Smiling, Jinyoung replied, “I don’t know anything about music, it’s totally different from acting but I think they’re really talented too. Or at least I hope so, that’s what I’ve been telling Mark for a while now.”

Both of them laughed and the girl said, “You two are really cute together, by the way.”

Eyes creasing with his smile, Jinyoung said, “Thank you.”

“Yeah, everyone raves about how cute you are together and honestly I thought it was mostly publicity. But I was eavesdropping before-- sorry about that -- and I’m impressed, you two don’t seem fake at all.”

Jinyoung furrowed his brows and slowly said, “Thank you? I think that’s a compliment.”

The guy smiled and said, “It is, trust me. We live in a world where half the celebrity couples are fake and the other half are just using each other for fame and money. So seeing two people who caused quite the stir this year actually seeming like they’re in love? It’s wild.”

“Our relationship is definitely anything but fake,” Jinyoung said. He knew people thought this about them. They were too random of a couple for there not to be suspicions of media play. But Jinyoung couldn’t blame them. 

He spent most of his career pretending to flirt with his costars on camera just to get more people to talk about his upcoming movies. It was all about a story, all about what he could do to increase sales. It wasn’t a long shot to think that with Jinyoung’s movie coming out the month following Ruby Atlas’s album that the couple could just be a ploy to gain the public’s attention for their own personal gain. 

But Jinyoung hoped that their genuine love for each other would shine through enough to keep those claims at bay. As the months went on and it became clear that the two did in fact really live together and they really did spent almost every waking moment not at work together, people spread less and less rumors about them. Even then, Jinyoung couldn’t fault someone in the entertainment industry for being unsure of the relationship, they probably knew all too well how important the retention of the public’s interest was.

“So is it really true that half the album is about you?” The girl asked with sparkles in her eyes. She really was a fan apparently.

Jinyoung thought for a second. Technically only 5 out of the 12 were about him. There were 2 songs about Jaebum that made it onto the album, one as a bonus track. But luckily, Mark had enough involvement in the songs that the band played it off as if Mark wrote them. They were advised that doing anything to signal that the other members weren’t single could potentially be dangerous. So Jinyoung treaded lightly when answering, “Um, I think so. That’s what he tells me anyways. Mark doesn’t really like it when I read his lyrics so I’ve only listened to the whole album maybe once or twice.”

“He doesn’t let you read his lyrics?” One of them asked, bemused. 

Grinning with amusement, Jinyoung replied, “I quoted his lyrics to him too much before the album came out and he hated it, it was the cutest thing. So now he doesn’t ask for my approval for demos.”

The two artists grinned at him, the girl about to say something but the lights dimmed. 

A spotlight focused on the center of the stage where the band was, illuminating them in a fog of smoke. Blue under lighting made the whole room feel erie. Jinyoung heard the distinct sound of keys jingling and recognized that this was the album’s latest single, Drive. 

While Jinyoung held Paris in a special place in his heart, this was a song that stood out to him the most the first time Mark played it for him. Mark explained that everyone thought if Paris wasn’t chosen as the lead single, that this song was going to be. But it was then agreed that it would do better as a fall or winter lead up single than a closing of summer single. 

It was slower for the band’s usual taste and although it stood out, it kept with the album’s distinct flavor. Jinyoung thought Yugyeom’s vocals were really something on it. 

And then he heard Yugyeom’s soft but emotional voice fill the room.

_My hands wrapped around a stick shift_  
Swerving on the 405, I can never keep my eyes off this  
My neck, the feeling of your soft lips  
Illuminated in the light, bouncing off the exit signs I missed 

Mark mentioned that the song was about his early worries in their relationship, back when most of the time they spent together was in a car. When he wasn’t sure what they were supposed to be or where they were headed but he knew he loved it either way. 

_All we do is drive_  
All we do is think about the feelings that we hide  
All we do is sit in silence waiting for a sign  
Sick and full of pride  
All we do is drive 

Jinyoung supposed it fit well with the fact that they got caught because of a car. He watched the smoke swirl around stage, keeping with the slow pace of the song. 

_And California never felt like home to me_  
And California never felt like home  
And California never felt like home to me  
Until I had you on the open road 

It was a bittersweet song, one that felt longingful and reminiscent. The great thing about the album was that Jinyoung got to hear about the worries and emotions that Mark felt that he never expressed. He got to look back at their relationship and to see how far they came. 

Looked on with a soft smile, Jinyoung saw Mark’s demeanor change from slow swaying to a bright smile as Paris’ first chord was struck. 

The stage lighting changed to pinks and oranges and the whole band livened up. While Jinyoung heard people sing along to Drive, there was a louder response to Paris. 

He could see through squinting that Mark’s eyes were searching for his. When they found each other, they both beamed. 

Jinyoung couldn’t understand how this album wasn’t going to win an award. While he had a personal tie to the album, the emotions portrayed throughout the whole thing were so vivid and real. Watching the band perform only solidified that further.

 

When Mark came back after the performance, he wasn’t completely back to his usual self but he wasn’t as dismayed as before. He sat back in his seat next to Jinyoung and said with a smile, “So how were we?”

“Incredible as always, love,” Jinyoung replied honestly. 

He leaned in to peck Mark on this lips and afterwards, Mark looked at him with suspicion, “Are you just saying that?”

Feeling his eyes crease, Jinyoung kissed him again and then replied, “Nope.”

The lightheartedness faded fast as the end of the show neared. Jinyoung watched artist after artist get awards. He had a hand on Mark’s thigh but as the show braked for commercials right before the award for Album of the Year, Mark took his hand.

“Nervous?” Jinyoung questioned, trying to keep his tone light. He didn’t want to add to Mark’s stress.

His boyfriend nodded and Jinyoung kissed his hair again, whispering, “It doesn’t matter if you win, but just know that I think you deserve to.”

Mark leaned into the kiss and said, “Thank you, baby.”

“Win or lose, I’ll take you anywhere after this,” Jinyoung said.

Grinning mischievously, Mark asked, “Anywhere?”

“With that look, I’m worried but yes,” Jinyoung laughed. Mark grinned until the music played and then his head snapped to the presenter.

Their words seemed to be as slow as a sloth’s. Jinyoung wasn’t even going to win anything and he was eagerly awaiting every next word out of the presenter’s mouth. Finally they got to, “And the award for Album of the Year goes to…”

Jinyoung felt like his heart was in his chest, he couldn’t even imagine what Mark must be feeling in that moment. It was like part on a rollercoaster where you can see the drop but the brakes haven’t disengaged so you’re waiting mere milliseconds before what your brain tells you is sure death. 

“Ruby Atlas!”

Jinyoung reacted faster than Mark, who looked dazed as he continued to stare forward. The realization hit Mark in slow motion until he was standing with the rest of his band, being clapped for by the rest of the theater. Jinyoung stood up among everyone else with a proud shine to his eyes. Mark didn’t look back at him at Jinyoung didn’t want him to. This was Mark’s moment. The moment that he deserved.

Up ahead towards the stage, Jinyoung saw Jackson and the rest of the band grinning. Mark’s eyes were wide as if he still couldn’t believe it. The grin hadn’t yet come to him, just a surprised smile. 

When the award got handed to Mark, the only thought in Jinyoung’s mind was, ‘That’s my baby.’

Mark looked to his members to give the speech but they all motioned for him to do it and Jinyoung could see Mark’s one second freak out before walking up to the microphone stand.

“Um,” Mark started. He seemed flustered and Jinyoung’s heart lurched. “Honestly, we didn’t think we’d win this award but we are so, so thankful for it. This album means a lot to me personally, it’s actually the first album I became a main writer on. I poured my heart and soul, but mostly my heart, into it and to see it be given love by so many people is incredible. I just want to thank, on the behalf of the band, our label and staff that helped make this possible as well as our wonderful friends and family that supported us through this whole thing. Our fans were without a doubt our anchor throughout this whole thing. You gave us so much love for this album and I hope you know how extremely thankful I am for all of it. And of course a special shout out to my muse, whom I would not have been able do this without. Thank you for letting me fall in love with you so I could write an album about it, I love you.”

Mark stepped away from the mic and the clapps resumed. Jinyoung’s heart felt so full, it was brimming with love and joy and pride. He watched Mark and the other Ruby Atlas members getting ushered off stage. Jinyoung expected them to be directed back to their seats but instead they were brought back stage. 

There were a few more awards to present but Jinyoung didn’t want to wait. He wanted to see Mark. Thankfully, there was another break and Jinyoung left his seat as fast as possible, asking staff members for how to get backstage. They seemed apprehensive to tell him but Jinyoung breathed out, “My boyfriend just won a fucking Grammy, come on.”

And then pointed him to the right direction. 

He found himself walking through the crowded halls of backstage, eyes scanning for red hair and familiar brown eyes. It wasn’t long before Jinyoung spotted his boyfriend and even shorter for Mark to spot him. 

Mark launched himself into Jinyoung’s arms and Jinyoung picked him up, spinning him around. He felt the base of the award digging into his back as Mark held on tight but it didn’t bother him, that wasn’t what was important. 

As he hugged his boyfriend, Jinyoung whispered, “I’m so proud of you, baby. So, so proud. I knew you could do it.”

Jinyoung set Mark down and saw wet cheeks. He immediately went to wipe them away and said, “Oh love, don’t cry.”

Mark sniffed and another tear rolled down his cheek. Jinyoung didn’t know what to do so he just hugged him. “I bet it was hard to not cry on stage.”

He felt Mark nod. If there was one thing Jinyoung learned about Mark, it was that took his passions very seriously. Mark loved what he loved. But with great pride came great emotions and Jinyoung was surprised at how composed Mark had been on stage. Maybe it hadn’t yet hit him until they left the stage, maybe it hadn’t hit him until just then.

“You worked so hard and you sacrificed to much for this album, you deserve this. You deserve everything,” Jinyoung said, kissing under Mark’s ear. “I love you so much and I am so beyond proud of you.”

Jinyoung felt the arms around his neck tighten and heard, “I love you too.”

He didn’t want to overwhelm Mark, but he also couldn’t stop from pouring out love and affection. Jinyoung let go when he felt Mark’s arm loosen and he congratulated the other members. Jackson was holding the award now and Yugyeom and Bambam were looking at it with awe. 

“I can’t believe we won,” Yugyeom said.

But Jackson shrugged, “I knew we would.”

“So same time same place in two years?” Bambam joked and Mark groaned. 

“Don’t say that, I want a vacation,” Mark sighed. “Albums are stressful.”

“Just wait for tour,” Jackson smirked.

Jinyoung looked at Mark and said, “Speaking of, where do you want to go?”

“Home,” Yugyeom replied before realizing he wasn’t the one being asked and turning red.

Mark grinned at his best friend and then said, “I haven’t eaten much all day because I was so nervous, so I’d kill for a greasy burger.”

“Really? I thought you were going to say Spain or something,” Jinyoung said, half joking half serious.

“Well actually,” Mark said, looking as if he was contemplating. “I was gonna say---”

“Greasy burger place it is!” Jinyoung cut him off before Mark thought up some elaborate thing to make Jinyoung suffer. He looked to the other guys and asked, “Did you want to come too?”

But they shook their head no. 

“Jaebum’s waiting for me and I’m not going to pass up some award winning dick,” Jackson said with a smile.

Yugyeom narrowed his eyes in thought, “Are you saying award winning because you just won an award or because Jaebum has won awards? Or because his dick is so good that it could win awards?”

“All of the above, my friend,” Jackson smirked. He looked over to Bambam and winked, “Looks like you could get some award winning dick tonight too.”

But the guitarist rolled his eyes while Jackson was watching but Jinyoung saw Bambam raise his eyebrows at Yugyeom in question. With Yugyeom’s smile it looked like all three of them were ready to head home.

As Mark and Jinyoung walked the opposite direction hand in hand, Mark asked, “So can I have what they’re having too?”

Jinyoung grinned and said, “I was going to be surprised if you didn’t ask.”

 

The two had just arrived at the burger place, a quick fast food restaurant that was famous in their area, hand in hand. Since the rest of the band took the limo, Jinyoung called a driver for them. But Mark insisted they go inside instead of the drive through. 

 

They walked up to the cashier and it was clear that she recognized them on sight. It probably wasn’t hard to considering their current attire. 

“Y-You’re---” She stuttered, looking at both of them. And then her head snapped to Mark, “Did you win anything? I haven’t been able to check, they don’t allow phones and---”

The cashier cut herself off and waited for Mark to reply. The bassist grinned and nodded, “Album of the Year.”

Her jaw dropped, “Oh my god.”

Jinyoung smiled and wrapped his arms around Mark’s shoulders, “I know, right? Isn’t that incredible? I’m so proud of him.”

He saw Mark’s cheeks redden and Mark whined, “Babe, oh my god.”

“Sorry,” Even though Jinyoung wasn’t sorry in the least. “I’ll stop being annoyingly proud of my talented, Grammy winning boyfriend.”

Mark’s glare had no threat to it, mostly just embarrassment. 

“Anyways,” Mark said. “We came here because I’m starving so I’ll have a double double animal style.” 

 

They sat down with their food and Mark whipped out his phone to take a picture. Jinyoung wasn’t paying attention but as he would find out later, he was actually in that picture and posted to Mark’s instagram.

Mark tried to multitask as he ate fry after fry, scrolling through what Jinyoung assumed was social media. His assumptions were found correct as Mark turned his phone to say, “Aww babe, you look at me like this?”

It was a tweet of two photos of Mark waiting while Ruby Atlas got their picture taken on the red carpet. Jinyoung was watching Mark with what could only be described as deep affection. The caption said “find someone who looks at you the way that jinyoung looks at mark #markjin”.

Smiling Jinyoung said, “I always look at you like that.”

With his mouth full, Mark attempted to say, “Not uh, this is different.”

Jinyoung shrugged and sipped his drink, “I told you, I’m proud of you.”

His boyfriend’s eyes softened before looking back through fan’s reactions. Jinyoung watched quietly because while he didn’t really care to seek other’s reactions, it was important to Mark. 

A moment or two later, Mark almost choked on his fry. “Oh my god.”

“Hm?” Jinyoung said, taking a bite of his own burger. 

Mark slid over his phone, “Someone recorded us backstage.”

Jinyoung watched Mark jump into his arms, seeing for the first time the smile his boyfriend had on his face. He hadn’t thought he had spoken loud enough for anyone else but Mark to hear but if he listened closely, under the noise of the hallway, Jinyoung’s voice could be made out. It cut off after Mark told Jinyoung he loved him too.

“You look so cute,” Jinyoung commented. He scrolled down to read the comments. They were mostly crying emojis and things like “this is so sweet” “jinyoung is the perfect boyfriend” and “they were made for each other.” 

“I don’t know who took this but I’m glad the reactions are good. I didn’t cry on stage for a reason,” Mark said, the corner of his lips turned down.

“Well it just makes you look more human and it also makes our relationship look good,” Jinyoung commented lightly, hoping that Mark would agree with him. He didn’t want a leaked video to get the best of Mark’s good mood.

Mark shrugged and then smiled, taking the hand Jinyoung had on the table into his, “Yeah, you’re right. Can I eat some of your fries?”

Jinyoung laughed softly. He only bought them because he was sure that Mark was going to want more. “Of course love, you can have anything you’d like.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for mark's hair I had his eyes on you in seoul hair in mind (but red of course!)
> 
> what was your favorite part?
> 
> I don't know if I'll actually stick to the whole "five chapters left!!!" that I said because who knows. bUT if I do we only have four chapters left!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> what do you think I have planned for them?


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright this chapter has some ups and downs, so have fun with that :) there's a little surprise at the end ♡

_Can I come over?_ Was the message from Yugyeom that popped up on Mark’s screen as he made lunch for himself. Jinyoung was filming so Mark more than welcomed the company.

 _yeah of course, when?_ But Yugyeom never replied. When 20 minutes went by and Yugyeom still hadn’t responded, Mark wasn’t even sure that Yugyeom still intended on visiting. 

But sure enough, some time later Yugyeom was calling to be let up the elevator. And then he was knocking on Mark’s front door. Mark smiled as he heard the small noise and paused his show on the tv. 

He bounded over to the door and opened it with a smile. But his smile fell flat upon seeing Yugyeom’s distraught expression. “What’s---”

“Bambam broke up with me,” Was all Yugyeom said as he pushed past Mark and made his way into the kitchen.

Mark followed him and saw Yugyeom pull a glass off the shelf. Mark felt alarm course through him as he worried that Yugyeom intended to drink away his sorrows. They faded away when Yugyeom pulled out peach mango juice from the fridge. He stood idly as he watched Yugyeom take a big sip and wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“Do you...do you want to talk about it?” Mark asked, not knowing how to go about this situation. Yugyeom had never been dumped before. At least not in the time that Mark knew him. He had casual flings but eventually Yugyeom was always the one to end them. Secretly, Mark had always thought that had to do with a certain guitarist. 

But Yugyeom shook his head and headed toward’s the tv room. Mark followed silently, worried but silently. He wanted to give Yugyeom space but he could also tell that Yugyeom wasn’t taking the break up well. 

They got into the room and Yugyeom flopped on the couch and said, “Can we watch a disney movie?”

It was Yugyeom’s only request thus far so Mark obliged. They ended up landing on one of Mark’s favorite ones. It was one that Jinyoung hadn’t seen but didn’t seem particularly interested in when Mark first brought it up. But once Mark mentioned it over and over, Jinyoung finally came around to it. He ended up loving it, of course. Mark beamed with joy when he caught Jinyoung smiling at the jokes. So he was pretty happy when Yugyeom chose this one. 

That was until the male love interest attempted to lie to the princess and Yugyeom spiraled, “Of course he was going to fucking lie to her. She should have never trusted him in the first place.”

Mark’s eyes slid over to Yugyeom, wondering if this was the start of finally hearing what happened with Bambam. “All men do is break your heart, what’s the fucking point of trying if they’re just going to give up half way through because they’re ‘scared’ or whatever?”

Yugyeom pointed to the screen lazily and said, “Like this guy tries to leave her behind and then comes back for her, why is disney showing this shit to children? Trying to give them false hope that the world is a magical place where people fall in love and somehow they’re loved back? Well that’s not how it fucking works. Men are full of fucking shit.”

“All they do is make you fall for them and then leave when shit starts to get serious,” Yugyeom huffed and Mark’s eyebrows raised. He had never heard Yugyeom swear so much. 

“Is that what he did? Leave?” Mark asked hesitantly. 

“No, I’m here yelling at a fucking kids movie for no fucking reason,” Yugyeom snapped.

Mark physically moved back. He never saw Yugyeom so worked up before.

The singer sighed and said, “Sorry, it’s just… I thought...I thought what we had was like what you and Jinyoung have. I thought we were going to be something long term but…”

Yugyeom’s teeth clenched and his eyes stared up at the ceiling. He slowly looked over at Mark and said in the quietest voice Mark had ever heard, “I love him. I really love him, Mark.”

He looked away and Mark saw a single tear drip down Yugyeom’s cheek before he wiped it away with his hand. “I told him I loved him and he told me we should break up.”

Mark heard himself gasp involuntarily. He knew Bambam was cold, they all knew that. But they also all knew it was his coping mechanism from getting too invested in anything. But Mark thought that Yugyeom had broken down that wall when the two of them became boyfriends. 

“I-I thought it was some sort of sick joke, you know? Because he said something like ‘You’re too good for me’ and yeah I was a little disappointed that he didn’t say it back but it’s Bam after all. I was just happy to tell him. But then…,” Yugyeom’s eyes closed for a second before he continued. “But then he said that I should leave. We were hanging out on his bed and I froze and then he turned away from me and said that we shouldn’t do this anymore. I tried to ask why so that we could just talk about it but he made up some bullshit excuse about how this was too much for him and that he didn’t feel the same.”

Mark watched with sad, empathetic eyes as another tear fell. And another after that. Yugyeom looked at him and said, “Which is utter bullshit because I know he loves me, Mark. I know he does. I didn’t expect him to admit it right off the bat but I didn’t think he’d break up with me. I kept trying to get him to talk until finally he yelled at me to leave. A-And then I came here.” 

With that last breath, Mark moved across the couch and hugged his best friend. He put his head on Yugyeom’s shoulder and said, “I’m sorry he did that to you.”

“It’s okay,” Yugyeom tried to say but Mark wasn’t having it.

“No, it’s not okay, Gyeom. That was a shitty thing to do, even for him,” He said. “You didn’t deserve that---”

“But I did! I felt him pulling away from me! I knew he was putting even more distance between us, always talking about how it would be disastrous if anyone found out about us. About how I’m too touchy with him. And instead of giving him space or trying to hear him out, I steamroll him with affection! I tell him I love him of all fucking things!” Yugyeom leaned his head back on the couch, laughing without a single hint of amusement. “I did this to myself.”

Mark didn’t know what to say. Maybe Yugyeom did do it to himself. But it was still hurting Yugyeom and what Bambam did wasn’t the kindest. In the end, all Mark could do was support Yugyeom. He didn’t leave his singer’s side that whole day. Yugyeom ranted a little more here and there and Mark listened, but he still didn’t know what to do. In the back of his head, all Mark could think was that tour was going to be hell. 

 

 

“What am I making?” Mark asked as he stirred a pot about a week later. His phone was propped up against the wall, a reflection of himself was looking back at him as comments flew by. The last time he checked Mark had about 20,000 people watching his instagram live. 

He loved going live, especially these days. It was the last week or so before tour started so Mark was left home alone most days. Jinyoung’s movie was finishing up and the lead actor himself was trying his hardest to get as much done as he could so he didn’t have to miss more of the tour than he already was. 

Usually Mark would turn to his members when Jinyoung wasn’t home but it was an unspoken rule to spend as much time apart as possible before tour because spending months on end with each other 24/7 always got to be too much. Before when they all lived together, almost no one was home for the week before tour just so they could have a fresh start once the tour started. 

It was a little different now with Mark moved out, sometimes one of the members would come over for the day. Lately it’s been Yugyeom. He didn’t say much but Mark tried his hardest to get his friend back on his feet. They both knew that if Yugyeom didn’t get through the worst of it before tour started, seeing Bambam on stage night after night would only be worse. 

But whoever would come over usually wouldn’t stay late. Therefore, Mark found himself going live more often these days. He was making dinner and Jinyoung was supposed to be coming home within the hour so Mark decided it was a good idea. Plus it was also just good promotion for the tour. If fans saw his more real side, then they would get excited and be more likely to want to see him in the flesh. 

Mark moved over to the saucepan and picked up the wooden spoon to take a taste from it. He gestured the spoon to his phone and said, “Pasta! Jinyoung said he was feeling italian tonight, so I thought I’d surprise him.”

He leaned down to read the comments and smiled when he saw ‘omg boyfriend goals’ ‘I wish someone would cook me dinner’ ‘where can I get a mark tuan??’ ‘jinyoung is so lucky’ ‘how does the sauce taste?’ 

Glancing back to the spoon, Mark licked his lips and said, “Hmm, I think it needs another spice. I still need to saute the mushrooms, but the pasta is almost done.”

Mark opened up the cabinet and got on his tippy toes to find the spice he was looking for. When he closed the door he said, “I’m gonna miss home cooked meals when we’re on tour. As much as I love pizza, I think I’m gonna be sick of it after the first month. The pop punk lifestyle is hard guys.”

He laughed to himself and smiled to the camera. “I don’t know how Jinyoung’s going to like being on tour. I don’t think he’s ever done something like this before.”

Glancing at his phone again he saw the comments fly off his screen. What he did catch were mostly people typing in all caps about Jinyoung coming. ‘JINYOUNG???’ ‘Jinyoung is coming!??!?!’ ‘WAIT JInYOUNG IS COMING?’

Mark’s eyes widened and then he laughed, “Oh oops, did I not tell you that? Yeah he’ll be there all tour. Well, not the first part. He’s shooting something right now so he’ll join me on tour when he can.”

His phone became flooded again and Mark said, “I can’t tell, the comments are moving so fast, are these good reactions? Do you guys want Jinyoung to come?”

Now that he asked a question, the comments turned into a wall of yes with some no sprinkled in. He could at least read that. Grinning, Mark said, “Good, I’m glad you guys don’t mind. I don’t think you’ll see much of him or anything since he’ll be backstage but maybe,” Mark raised his eyebrows suggestively. “You’ll see him later on. We might be filming something for you guys on tour.”

Once again the comments went crazy. A couple world tours back when Ruby Atlas really made it big, the band recorded a tour documentary. It was fun because it showed all their weird tour shenanigans as well as the hard parts of life on the road. The fans loved it because they felt closer to the members and the guys loved it because they had more reasons to do weird shit. 

Reading the comments, Mark grinned, “Yeah you guys know exactly what I’m talking about. I can’t technically say anything but let’s just say you’re right on the money.”

He checked on the pasta and decided it was time to drain the pot. After moving to the other side of the kitchen to do so, Mark grabbed some vegetables and a knife. When he came back into view, Mark set a tomato on the cutting board and smirked, “You should hear the way Jacks and Bam have been planning stuff. I swear I’m going to be more tired from the shit they’ve thought up than from the shows themselves.”

“Not to say the shows aren’t going to be incredible,” Mark cautioned as he started slicing the tomatoes. “Our budget was a lot bigger for this tour so we have some cool shit up our sleeves that I think you’re gonna like.”

Lifting the cutting board and angling it over the sauce, he used the knife to slide the tomatoes in. “So who am I gonna see on tour? Are you guys getting as excited as I am?”

When Mark set the cutting board back down he checked the comments, smiling. He responded to the ones he saw, “Yeah, it is pretty close now. Mhm, we are playing the new stuff. What city am I most excited for? All of them! Wait I have to stir the sauce, one sec.”

As he moved in front of the oven, Mark heard the front door click. His eyes lit up and he glanced towards the corner of the kitchen where he expected Jinyoung to pop out of. When he heard, “Baby are you cooking?” Mark grinned and looked back down to his sauce.

“Maybe,” Mark called back, stirring the sauce. 

It was only a moment or so later when he felt Jinyoung’s arms turning him around and moving him in front of the countertop. Within a second of seeing his boyfriend, Mark felt Jinyoung kiss him. There were warm palms cupping the sides of his face and lips pressing into his. There was a sense of urgency in the kiss, like Jinyoung couldn’t get enough of him.

Mark smiled into the kiss and looped his arms around Jinyoung’s neck. He felt himself being lifted onto the countertop and smiled wider. He wasn’t worried about Jinyoung’s behavior being live streamed because he felt how tender the kiss was. It was eager, but it was sweet. Mark knew exactly what kind of kiss this was.

Once Jinyoung pulled away, he grinned and Mark rested his forehead on his boyfriend’s, “Did you miss me?”

Jinyoung looked up at him with all the love in the world. He placed his hands flat on the countertop next to Mark, caging him in as he said, “I guess.”

“You guess?” Mark questioned, a brow raised. “Because it felt like you missed me a lot.”

Grinning, Jinyoung kissed him again but only a quick peck this time. “I had to kiss someone else a lot today.”

“Oh?” Mark asked, waiting for Jinyoung to fill in the blanks for him. 

“Yeah, usually I can get away with it by imagining you but their lips felt so different than yours,” The corner of Jinyoung’s mouth turned down. “It just didn’t feel right.”

“Because my lips are the best?” Mark grinned. 

Jinyoung raised one of his hands to Mark’s face and he felt his cheek being stroked softly, “Everything about you is the best. No one else could ever compare.”

If Mark grinned any wider, his face was going to split. So he leaned in for a soft, slow kiss. His boyfriend kissed him back just as delicately. Mark let the kiss linger for a few seconds before pulling back and saying, “Oh by the way, I’m live on instagram right now.”

He glanced over to his phone and smirked, “Yeah I didn’t forget about you guys, don’t worry.”

His boyfriend looked curious but not surprised. “So you were just going to let them watch? Babe, I lifted you onto the counter.”

Mark smiled and hopped off and onto the ground, grabbing his phone. He waved his hand, “If you kissed me like you meant it, I would have said something. I knew that was just an ‘I missed you’ kiss.”

“But they don’t,” Jinyoung laughed.

And he was right, all the fans were freaking out. His view count raised another 20,000 and the comments were all ‘Cooking live? More like almost porn holy shit’ ‘if that wasn’t Jinyoung kissing him like he meant it then wtf does that look like?’ ‘I thought Mark forgot he was live omg’ ‘that went from 0 to 60 and then back to 0 real quick’ ‘wait does this mean jinyoung tops?’ 

Mark smiled at the topping comment. Ever since they went public, Mark had been seeing the ‘who tops?’ comments online. Apparently it was hard for people to see him in a submissive position just because he had muscles and a sharp jawline, which was half annoying and half amusing. Mark had been so close to replying to those comments saying that appearance had nothing to do with preference of sexual position but knew that he shouldn’t get involved, it would only get messy. 

“You guys are funny,” Mark smiled at his phone before setting it back down and turning to Jinyoung. “Babe, do you wanna taste the sauce? I have to saute the mushrooms still but it should be about ready, the noodles are by the sink.”

His boyfriend glanced over his shoulder and saw what Mark was talking about. Mark grabbed the spoon again and held his other hand under it, blowing to cool it down before raising it to Jinyoung’s lips. He watched with a smile as his boyfriend tasted the tomato sauce.

Jinyoung’s eyes lit up and he pointed at the spoon, “That’s really good, babe. You made that?”

Grinning with pride, Mark nodded. “I may or may not have a secret pasta skill.”

He felt a hand on his cheek as Jinyoung leaned in, kissing him for a second before saying, “You’re incredible, I’m so glad you’re mine.”

Mark’s eyes softened for a second before saying, “You should be glad.”

“Oh yeah? Are you going to run off with another actor if I don’t keep a close eye on you?” Jinyoung jokes lightheartedly.

“I have other celebrity crushes,” Mark said with a smirk, leaving to grab the mushrooms.

Jinyoung rolled his eyes, stirring the sauce. “Even if you did leave me, I know we’d end up together in the end.”

“You think?” Mark asked, hugging Jinyoung from behind. He rested his chin on his boyfriend’s shoulder. 

He saw Jinyoung smile and say, “I can’t imagine the rest of my life with anyone else.”

Mark’s heart stopped beating and his eyes widened. He felt his heart spur back to life and a smile bloomed across his lips. Mark nuzzled the back of Jinyoung’s shoulder with his cheek and tightened his arms around him. “I love you.”

The response was automatic, not a beat missed, “I love you more.”

“Not possible,” Mark said, pressing a kiss into Jinyoung’s shoulder before moving to spill the mushrooms onto the cutting board. 

He went to pick up the knife but Jinyoung shook his head, “Let me do that. You’ve done everything else.”

Smiling wider, Mark nodded, “Okay, I have to check on the garlic bread anyways.”

He saw Jinyoung’s face turn surprised and appreciative all at the same time, “You made garlic bread? Did I mention that I love you?”

Mark couldn’t stop smiling. Sarcastically, he replied, “No I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that.”

As he opened the door to the oven he heard, “Well shit. I guess I’ve been failing at my boyfriend duties.”

“I guess you have,” Mark smiled at up at him as he pulled the garlic bread out and set it on the stove top to cool. 

Jinyoung smiled back at him and pulled him in for a hug, kissing his hair, “I love you more than life itself. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Laughing into his boyfriend’s chest, Mark said, “Damn I should make you garlic bread more often.”

“As if I don’t say stuff like that to you everyday,” Jinyoung said, letting him go to start slicing the mushrooms. 

Mark felt his heart beating against his ribs and moved to his phone. He lifted it so that he was eye level to his camera, “Alright guys, dinner's almost ready so I’m signing off for the night. I’ll probably go live tomorrow, so see you then!”

He turned off the live stream and then wiggled his way back into Jinyoung’s arms. “I missed you so much today. I hate that you leave so early and come back so late.”

“I know baby, I know. I’m glad I got home at a reasonable time today but it makes me sad to think about how you’ve spent the last few days alone,” Jinyoung said. “I’ll make it all up to you tonight okay?”

Mark lifted his eyes and asked, “What kind making up?”

He watched as Jinyoung smiled and said, “How about I rim you tonight?”

Mark’s eyes flashed with want and Jinyoung smirked, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

 

 

Jinyoung awoke to warmth. His boyfriend was pressed against his chest with his face angled into Jinyoung’s neck, the bridge of Mark’s nose lining his jugular. As usual, Jinyoung’s arm was asleep from the shoulder down. This was all normal for Jinyoung to wake up to. Mark may weigh nothing but his head always felt heavy against Jinyoung’s shoulder. Jinyoung’s least favorite part of the morning was moving his arm and finding pins and needles shooting through his veins. But he let it happen every morning because this was how Mark liked to sleep. 

He really thought that Mark was going to be a spooning type of guy but Mark almost never wanted to be spooned. Before this relationship, all Jinyoung had ever done was spoon. Sometimes he let other guys sleep with their head on his chest but the position felt too intimate for casual relationships. 

And this position with Mark was the definition of intimate. They were all sorts of tangled up like this. Jinyoung usually fell asleep playing with Mark’s hair, something that always lulled Mark to sleep and Mark normally let his arm fall over the pit of Jinyoung’s waist. Mark assumed this position early on in their relationship and it only seemed fitting with how fast they both fell for each other.

Mark came into Jinyoung’s life like an active volcano, every detail of him seeping into all of the cracks of Jinyoung’s life until all Jinyoung could think of was him. He got so consumed by Mark that every aspect of his day in someway had him thinking of his cute bass player. And Jinyoung wouldn’t have it any other way. He absolutely adored Mark. Before him, Jinyoung never would have thought that he would coexist so naturally with another person with this amount of ease.

They fell so fast for each other that in the back of Jinyoung’s mind he didn’t think that they would last. If Mark’s love for him was like a volcano, didn’t that mean that Mark would leave as fast as he came? But somehow Mark’s heart kept spilling lava, letting it flow into Jinyoung’s and surrounding them both. 

Somewhere along the way, Jinyoung stopped thinking about what should happen and instead focused on what was happening. And that led him here, waking up on a Tuesday morning with the love of his life in his arms. But he frowned. Something felt different. 

Usually he woke up a little overheated but this was different, the extra heat was concentrated especially to his neck. Jinyoung didn’t understand the reason for this until he noticed how damp his skin was against Mark’s. Alarm started settling into the forefront of Jinyoung’s mind as he dipped his head and pressed his lips to his boyfriend’s forehead. And as expected, it was too hot to be normal. The temperature matched with his boyfriend’s clammy skin led Jinyoung to the saddening conclusion that Mark might have a fever. 

He wanted to wake Mark up to confirm his suspicion but if Mark really was sick, his body needed all the rest he could get so Jinyoung didn’t. Instead he surrounded Mark further and tried to fall asleep again. 

When he woke up a second time, his chest was being pushed at and the tight embrace Jinyoung had formed around Mark was being torn apart. “Baby what’s going on?”

He saw Mark peeling the covers off his sweat covered skin and sprawling out on top of them. And then his boyfriend winced, his eyes shutting forcefully as he groaned, “Too hot and too..too fast, fuck.”

Delicately, Jinyoung reached out and brushed Mark’s bangs out of his face. He tried his hardest to not let his fingers touch Mark’s skin in attempt to not cause his overheating boyfriend discomfort. He only wanted to comfort his distressed boyfriend. “Are you feeling okay?”

Mark shook his head and then halfway through abandoned the movement for another wince, “My head hurts, I feel like I’m trapped under a heavy blanket.”

Jinyoung heard the rasp in his voice and pursed his lips, “How does your throat feel?”

His boyfriend looked over to him with sad eyes, “It hurts.”

“Baby…,” Was all Jinyoung could say. Mark was clearly in pain and his usual comfort skill of wrapping his boyfriend in his arms was the last thing Mark would want now. He felt restless. “Let me get you some water, okay?”

Across the bed, Mark gave the tiniest of nods and Jinyoung left their bed. He wanted to stroke the side of Mark’s face but he was unsure of his boyfriend’s sensory perceptions and he didn’t know what would be welcomed and what wouldn’t. 

He poured water into a tumbler with a straw to make it easier on his sick boyfriend and returned to find Mark with his eyes closed on their bed. Jinyoung sat next to him and brushed his fingertips over strands of Mark’s hair to let him know he was back. Brown eyes looked up at him and Jinyoung gestured the water to his red nosed boyfriend. Mark sniffed as the straw touched his lips and Jinyoung couldn’t help but feel his heart crack at the weak state his boyfriend was in. 

“I think you might be sick, love,” Jinyoung announced, his voice soft and pillowy to cover the sadness in it. 

He watched as Mark’s eyes widened but before he could say anything, he started coughing, confirming Jinyoung’s suspicions. His coughs sounded wet and painful and Jinyoung felt his heart crack a little more. With a hoarser voice than before, Mark complained, “But I was supposed to go the coast with Jacks today.”

With a sad smile, Jinyoung said, “Love of my life, I don’t think you’re going anywhere today.”

Mark’s eyes mirrored his, but with a little more anguish sprinkled in as he knew that Jinyoung was right. Jinyoung sighed as he said, “I don’t have any medicine here so I’ll have to go buy you some. Do you think you can make it without me for a little?”

There was a tinge of amusement in his voice that matched his small smirk and Mark smiled up at him before his expression turned confused, “But I thought you had to film today?”

“I’m supposed to but I can’t with my sick boyfriend at home, can I?” Jinyoung replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

As expected, Mark frowned. After a second he said, “I can get Jacks---”

“I’m sure you can baby but is Jackson your boyfriend? No. Let me take care of you today,” Jinyoung said. He wasn’t looking for a fight, not that Mark looked up for one, but he wanted to give no room for a counter argument. Mark took another sip of his water with an unsatisfied frown but Jinyoung smiled at him kindly and he knew Mark in his sick state was no match for that. 

“Okay,” Mark eventually said and Jinyoung smiled wider. 

His phone buzzed on the nightstand and he got up to get it, already expecting a call. He should have been at set five minutes ago. Alex’s named flashed across the screen and Jinyoung took the call.

“Hello?” He answered as he rounded the bed to the side that Mark was on. He didn’t want Mark to have to listen to their conversation so he lifted Mark’s hand from the bed and gave it a squeeze before leaving their bedroom. 

“Hello? That’s all I get? You’re late Jinyoung,” Alex claimed with a huff. 

His manager was right to be huffy with him, Jinyoung should have sent him a text when he first thought that Mark was sick but admittedly he thought that Mark would have woke him up sooner. “Sorry, I forgot to text you this morning.”

“Look, I know Mark’s a bit of a seductress but you can’t always think with your dick.” Jinyoung felt his eyebrows come together as he tried to figure out what Alex was saying. “Just please tell me you’re 10 minutes away and freshly showered.”

Oh. Alex was insinuating that Jinyoung was late because his usual round of morning sex lasted too long, or that Mark seduced him as he went to leave their house. Either way, Alex was wrong. “Neither actually, Mark is sick. I think he might have the flu or something so I’m staying home with him today.”

“Like hell you are,” Came Alex’s response. “The set is only 30 minutes from you so I expect you here in less than an hour.”

Jinyoung’s jaw squared. He stated firmly, “No, I’m staying here with him. I’m not leaving him alone sick.”

“That’s all very heroic of you Jinyoung but you have a job to do, a very high profile one at that. You’re contractually obligated to be here at set in a timely manner whenever you’re needed, which was 10 minutes ago,” Alex spouted off in a disinterested voice. “Just get one of his friends to take care of him or whatever.”

“I don’t care about that,” Jinyoung gritted, not understanding how Alex didn’t get this. Mark was important to him. It was his duty as Mark’s boyfriend to take care of him. “I’m staying by Mark’s side through sickness and through health.”

He heard a long sigh, “Okay Jinyoung I know Mark’s like your ‘everything’ or whatever but you’re not actually married. You know that, right? You’re not legally bound to him. You are however legally bound to this movie contract.”

“I would marry him a second, you know that right? And fuck the contract. Just tell the director I won’t be coming today and I’ll shoot all the scenes tomorrow,” Jinyoung said agitatedly. Mark was his everything. He didn’t take that lightly. He also had full intention of marrying Mark. Therefore his role as Mark’s caretaker wasn’t an act he assumed willy nilly. Jinyoung really meant that. 

“Jinyoung, I am two seconds from coming over there and dragging you from that dumb penthouse myself,” And Jinyoung could tell that his manager really meant it.

“Then you’ll have to drag my dead body because I’m not leaving,” Jinyoung said as he hung up. He sighed loudly and made his way back to the bedroom in search for clothes suitable to go to the pharmacy in. 

He was still seething as he passed by their bed towards the closet when he heard a quiet, “You don’t really have to stay here with me…”

Jinyoung’s head swiveled to face Mark. With a little too much bite, he stated, “I can and I will.”

Mark flinched, “I don’t want you to get in trouble because of---” He coughed, “Me.”

Jinyoung’s eyes softened at the sight, “Baby, I would get in trouble a million times if it meant your safety and happiness.”

He saw Mark’s lips curl at the corner, “But you shouldn’t have to. I don’t even need someone to take care of me, I’m fine.”

Mark sniffed and rubbed his nose on the back of his hand. Jinyoung’s heart lurched and he went to grab a box of tissues from their bathroom. He set them on the nightstand next to Mark. Jinyoung sat on the bed next to him and caressed the side of Mark’s flushed face. “You’re not fine, love. I know Jackson would probably come as soon as you called him but I don’t feel like it’s right leaving you here. I want to take care of you.”

After Mark smiled at him, Jinyoung got up and started towards the closet again. Over his shoulder he said, “And anyways, if I don’t learn how to take care of you when you’re sick now, how else am I going to know what to do when you’re sick throughout the rest of your life?”

He sifted through a couple shirts before choosing a plain black one. From the bed he heard, “So you meant that?”

“Meant what, babe?” Jinyoung asked as he pulled a pair of jeans over his thighs. 

“That you’d marry me tomorrow?” He could hear the caution in Mark’s voice. He looked over and saw Mark’s red cheeks. Since he was sick, that sight was to be expected but they were redder than before and Jinyoung smiled. 

“You heard that?” Mark nodded shyly. 

“Marrying you has been one of my plans for a while, love,” Jinyoung said as if it was nothing. It wasn’t of course, but he didn’t want the weight of that statement to scare Mark.

“Really?” Mark asked, looking like he was trying to suppress his happiness. 

“What else did you think I mean when I say that you’re in every part of my future?” Jinyoung asked as he walked back over to the bed.

“I don’t know,” Mark said, feigning innocence.

Jinyoung brought his boyfriend’s hand to his lips and kissed the ring finger, “I have every intention of making you mine forever. When you’re ready, of course. I don’t expect us to get married tomorrow, but maybe at some point in the next few years.”

His boyfriend’s subtle smile had bloomed into a full on grin. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jinyoung replied easily. Mark voice sounded painful and he wanted to leave as soon as possible. He didn’t want Mark to have to suffer for too long. “I’m gonna go, is there anything you think you’ll need while I’m out?”

Mark shook his head as if he forgot his head hurt and winced again. Jinyoung frowned and squeezed Mark’s hand again. “I’ll be back soon.”

His eyes roamed over Mark and his surroundings, checking the proximity of Mark’s water and tissues before confirming in his head that Mark would be fine while he was out.

 

Deciding on what medicine to buy Mark was tougher than expected. Did Mark just want to pass out and sleep all day or did he want to be somewhat lucid? Drowsy versus non-drowsy cough medicine was going to be the death of him. As he walked into the store, Jinyoung had texted Jackson to see what types of things Mark liked when he was sick. 

As he eyed the varying boxes, Jinyoung felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a long list from Jackson:

_He can’t swallow pills (I know right? guy can suck dick for hours but pills?? you might as well ask him to jump off a bridge hes such a baby lol) so get him liquid medicine. he hates cherry so if theres like grape or whatever, get him that. Mark likes to pretend he’s not sick so don’t let him out of your sight because I once found him pouring orange juice into cereal at the height of his fever. It’s probably best to knock him out honestly._

_Oh! And he likes soup. There’s this place a few blocks down from the apartment that has this chicken noodle soup that the guys swear is an instant cure for anything. If he has any energy he’ll probably try to fight you if you coddle him too much so just kind of let him be. let me know if there’s anything I can do to help :)_

Jinyoung smiled at the text because Jackson really was a great friend and also at how freakishly right this all sounded to him. He kind of expected Mark to be like how Jackson described so he typed back a quick thank you text before grabbing grape cough syrup and heading for the counter.

As he left, he found the number for the place that Jackson mentioned and placed an order for the soup so it’d be ready when he got there. Mark’s old apartment was a little farther that Jinyoung wanted to drive but he didn’t know what else Mark would eat and he didn’t want to have to leave the house again that day. 

 

At last Jinyoung returned home, bags in hand. He put the soup in the fridge before taking the medicine out of the bag and going to their room. He found Mark exactly where he left him but this time under the covers and curled onto his side. Jinyoung stroked his boyfriend’s forehead with the back of his fingers and felt that the fever hadn’t passed yet, not that he expected it to but he hoped it would have. 

With a kiss to his cheek, Mark’s eyes fluttered open. They turned soft as soon as they found Jinyoung’s, which warmed Jinyoung’s heart. He brought the medicine into view to let Mark know what he was doing and then poured some out for him.

Mark wordlessly took the little cup of purple liquid out of Jinyoung’s hand and drank it all in one sip. He smiled a little and said, “Thanks, babe.”

Jinyoung kissed his cheek again and said, “Of course.”

He watched as Mark’s eyes flitted closed again and Jinyoung asked, “Do you want to sleep?”

His boyfriend’s eyes opened and he shook his head in a small, light motion. “No? Did you want to watch tv?”

Mark nodded carefully and Jinyoung moved away to pull away the covers gently. “How do you feel about walking? Does your head still hurt?”

He watched as Mark tried to lift himself up but winced again, resulting in him just barely nodding. “I’ll carry you, love.”

Mark shook his head twice but Jinyoung scooped him up into his arms and got up, leaving their bed. He remembered what Jackson said and tried to explain, “I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Let me take care of you.”

He felt Mark nod into his shoulder and smiled. Hopefully Mark wouldn’t put up too much of a fight later on. As they reached the couch, Jinyoung settled his boyfriend down more gentler than usual. He made sure to support Mark’s aching head as he brought him down and onto a pillow. 

Jinyoung picked up a blanket from the back of the couch and asked, “Are you still too hot?”

Mark shook his head and reached out for the blanket. Jinyoung handed him the remote and then said, “I’m gonna go grab the script so I can memorize all the lines I missed today.”

When he came back, Mark moved next to him and Jinyoung carefully brought him closer until Mark could rest his head on Jinyoung’s chest. Jinyoung didn’t pay attention to whatever Mark turned on as he reached for his script. He saw the tumbler he brought with him and picked it up to hand to Mark. His boyfriend accepted it from him and took a few sips.

Mark fell asleep about five minutes later and woke up every so often for water or to blow his nose. They sat like that for a few hours. Once Mark fell back asleep, Jinyoung would refill Mark’s cup and wait for him to wake up again so that he could make sure that his boyfriend had enough fluids in him. 

Eventually, Mark had to pee and Jinyoung noticed that Mark seemed to be doing a little better. His eyes were more open and his voice sounded a less hoarse. When he returned, Jinyoung asked, “Are you feeling better?”

“Mhm,” Mark replied as he sat back down next to Jinyoung. “I think that medicine coated my throat and my head doesn’t feel as heavy now.”

“I’m glad,” Jinyoung went to kiss Mark on the lips but got thwarted by Mark’s hands against his chest, keeping him at bay.

“I’m sick,” Mark reminded him and Jinyoung smiled softly.

“So?” Jinyoung asked. “We use all the same things every day, love. If I’m going to catch whatever you have, then I don’t think a few kisses is going to make it any worse.”

He watched as Mark frowned but kept glancing down to Jinyoung’s lips. He ended up mumbling, “Okay.”

“Okay,” Jinyoung replied, ghosting over Mark’s lips before pressing into them with his own. The kiss was light and sweet and exactly what he wanted. For a second there, Jinyoung almost thought that he was going to have to go a day or two without being able to kiss his boyfriend. A disappointing thought to say the least. 

He pulled away and kissed Mark’s cheek, adding a little more pressure than usual to show his gratitude in being able to kiss him. Once he did, Jinyoung asked, “Are you hungry, baby?”

One corner of Mark’s lips turned down as he thought about it. Jinyoung could tell that Mark was about to say no so he said, “You need to eat, love. Even if it’s just a little bit.”

Mark nodded and Jinyoung placed his hand gently on the side of his face, brushing the pad of his thumb across Mark’s cheekbone. Mark smiled at the touch and Jinyoung matched his smile. “Okay, I’ll be right back. I expect kisses in return.”

He smiled wider as Mark rolled his eyes. 

When he came back holding the warm bowl of soup, Mark peered up at him with interest. Mark sniffed the air and Jinyoung thought he looked like a cute bunny. 

“Is that…?” Mark questioned as Jinyoung sat down next to him, handing him the bowl.

Jinyoung nodded, “Jackson told me you liked it.”

Mark took the spoon with a big smile on his face, “But this is back by the apartment, you drove all the way there just for soup?”

“No, I drove all the way over there for you,” Jinyoung corrected. “I just want to make being sick as easy on you as possible, love.”

He pushed Mark’s bangs back as he ate. Mark said, “You really don’t have to take care of me like this…”

“Yeah, and?”

Mark’s lips tugged into a smile as he looked down at his soup, “Yeah and I’m lucky that you are.”

Jinyoung shook his head, “You’re not lucky. You deserve to be treated like this.”

He saw Mark’s cheeks tint pink and eyes flicker up, “You know, you can take those kisses now.”

With a wide smile, Jinyoung cupped Mark’s jaw and leaned in, “Don’t mind if I do.”

After a few kisses, Jinyoung asked, “Do you know how you got sick? I didn’t think you were leaving the house much.”

Mark frowned in thought. His eyes lit up and he said, “Well, when Yugyeom was over a few days ago he suddenly wanted boba but he insisted on walking and I wasn’t going to say no to him since, I mean you know why,” Jinyoung nodded. “But it started raining on the walk back and as you know, that boba place is a good twenty minutes from here…”

“And you didn’t call an uber or something?” Jinyoung asked. The sick state of his boyfriend already told him the answer.

Shaking his head, Mark said, “I think the rain comforted Yugyeom so I didn’t say anything. But he was wearing a coat and I just had on one of your cardigans.” 

“Aw, baby,” Jinyoung cooed as he carded his hand through Mark’s hair. “Do you think Yugyeom is doing any better?”

He watched Mark mull over this question as he took another sip, “Yes and no. He’s definitely better than when I first saw him but I think he really loves Bam. He’s hidden his feelings for years, so I’m not too worried about how he’s doing at the apartment but I think it’s taking a toll on him.”

“Do you think this is finally the end for him? That maybe he’ll move on for good now?” Jinyoung asked. While he didn’t know the Ruby Atlas members nearly as good as Mark, after having them over all the time and hearing stories from Mark, he felt like he knew Bambam’s and Yugyeom’s backstories fairly well. 

“I don’t know, honestly. On one hand yes but on the other no. It takes a lot to get over someone, but it takes a lot more when your relationship is ended so abruptly,” Mark said with a sigh. “I just want him to be okay, you know? He has such a big heart, Yugyeom really didn’t deserve this.”

Jinyoung frowned empathetically. He knew it hurt Mark to see his friends in pain. “How do you think tour will go now? Will it be awkward?”

But Mark shook his head, “On the surface, no. Yugyeom loves this band too much to let this affect anything. He’ll act like everything is fine when everyone's around and Bambam being Bambam will probably pretend like nothing happened. It’ll really be up to Jacks and I to make it awkward or not.”

Jinyoung didn’t know what to say. He’s never dealt with something like this before. A band is dynamic, with four people comes four different lives and opinions. In acting, Jinyoung has always been alone. He had Alex, sure, but while Jinyoung thought of Alex as a friend, technically Alex was his employee. Jinyoung didn’t have to think about how his actions would affect Alex. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” Was all Jinyoung could think to say.

Mark shrugged, “It’s okay. We’ll get through this, we always do.”

 

“J-Jinyoung,” Megan stuttered, her eyes widening as she took the sight of him in before quickly composing herself. She dusted off her skirt before saying stoutly, “Your manager said you wanted to see me?”

“Yes,” Jinyoung replied with a bright smile. He had been looking forward to this meeting. “I wanted to talk about Mark’s schedule.”

“His schedule?” She asked as they both sat down at her desk. “What about it?”

Jinyoung had been thinking about doing this for a while. Whenever Mark brought up tour or their anniversary, Jinyoung had this plan forming in the back of his head. But it only really solidified after Mark got sick. After seeing Mark’s reaction, Jinyoung knew he wanted to put the plan in action. 

“He said that his next European tour probably wouldn’t be for a year or two, is that correct?” Jinyoung asked, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair. 

Megan put her elbows on her desk and played with a pencil between her fingers, “Nothing is finalized but it would probably be about two May’s from now, yes. Why?”

She peered over at Jinyoung with calculating eyes as if she was trying to work the answer out for herself.

“Basically,” Jinyoung said, his smile getting even bigger. This was the first time he was admitting his plans outloud. No one, not his parents or Jaebum or even Alex knew what he was about to say. “I want to propose to him at Versailles.”

Her eyes looked like they were going to pop of their socket. “P-propose? But you haven’t even been together for a year yet?”

Jinyoung expected this reaction, which is why he kept it a secret from others. But he knew if this plan was going to work, Megan needed to know now. “Yeah but we’ll be together for over two years by that point.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “So why are you telling me this now?”

“To make this all work, I need your help. I need a day off, a free day, in Paris,” Jinyoung explained.

But Megan didn’t get it, “Why don’t you just go on vacation with him? Mark will have plenty of months free from now until then. Wouldn’t that be more romantic?”

“See that’s the thing, he’s too clever. If he figured out his christmas gift upon just seeing the size of the box, I’m pretty sure he’d be able to pick up on a planned proposal,” Jinyoung rebutted. “If I do it on tour, he won’t be expecting much. Especially since our two year anniversary would have just happened.”

“Okay…,” Megan said as if she was waiting for Jinyoung to make more sense. “So you want a free day?”

“Yep, but I need him to think that it’s not actually free,” Jinyoung explained further, his full plan being unveiled. “I want you to tell him and the band that they have a schedule that day. If he thinks he has a free day, he’ll start making plans for it. And then the day of or something, tell them that it was cancelled.” 

Megan looked like she finally understood and nodded.

“I really want to make this perfect for him,” Jinyoung said sincerely, looking her in the eyes. “If he spoils it for himself, it won’t be perfect. I didn’t know when tours started to be planned, so I wanted to talk to you about it before anything was set in stone.”

“Well you actually brought this up at a good time,” Megan said, balancing her pen on her fingers. “We just started talking with a promoter about venues and availability so I can tell them to keep a day open.”

“Good,” Jinyoung smiled, satisfied with his early planning.

“But I just have to ask, do you really think you’ll be together in a year? Isn’t it a little early to be thinking about marriage?”

Jinyoung shrugged, “I can’t think of a scenario where I end up with anyone else but Mark at this point. I know he’s the one but I don’t think either of us are ready to get engaged yet. But I also know how impatient Mark is so as soon as he is ready, I’m sure he’ll be expecting a ring. And I don’t want to disappoint him.”

She looked at him in awe, “Where do I sign up to get a boyfriend like you? No wonder Mark’s so in love with you.”

“I love him just as much,” Jinyoung said, smiling to himself. “I can’t imagine loving him more than I do already, but I’m sure I will in a year.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one couple got pulled apart and another got closer together ♡ I hope you like where this is headed.
> 
> oh also! **I leave for the eyes on you tour in a week and will not be back home until the 9th**. I don’t have the next chapter written but I have the chapter after that written. so I can release that chapter while I’m following got7’s tour and it’ll be like I wasn’t even gone! but I can only do that if I get inspired to write the next chapter and the best way to do that is to leave me comments :) :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello my loves ♡
> 
> I know it's been a little but I needed time to sort myself out after tour (which was great!! jinyoung was an angel like always!! he took my headband on stage!! and blew me kisses!!) but I'm here now ♡ 
> 
> also happy birthday mark!!
> 
> as some trivia, I've been stealing stories and things from some of my favorite bands in real life and this chapter features a bit of that. so if you recognize something in this fic as being a real life thing, chances are it was on purpose. 
> 
> I promise I meant to get more jackbum into the story but I wrote yugbam first and now it seems like I'll be mostly sticking to yugbam as the more central secondary ship. sorry :( and by get more jackbum I really just mean that I was going to break jackbum up so honestly I saved you some heartbreak #rip 
> 
> anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter~

When Mark walked on stage for the first night of tour, he saw signs and banners like always. There were ones with the members names and faces along with little inside jokes written on them that made Mark grin. But what he hadn’t expected to see were the rainbows. He caught sight of them all around the arena, either on someone’s sign, painted on a cheek or being waved as a flag. 

His grin fell and a small sentimental smile held its place. Mark felt his eyes twitch and bit the inside of his lip to hold his emotions. His fans were supporting him. The rainbows were for him, they had to be. He let Jackson and Yugyeom do the opening of the show because he didn’t know what to say yet. 

During rehearsal, it had been discussed that Mark would say something before Paris, just a few words to tie in the meaning of the song and to show his gratitude for the last few months. So later in the show when Bambam teased the fans with the opening riff of the song, Mark reached down to take a sip of water. But when Mark looked up from his bass he saw rainbows in every corner of his view. It must have been some sort of fan project because all of the fans were shining an individual color to create a rainbow effect throughout the arena. Mark’s jaw dropped. 

“Holy shit,” He breathed into his mic. “Are you guys seeing this? Turn around and look at what you’ve created.”

The colors were dispersed and there was nothing uniform about it, but it was definitely meant to be a rainbow. Mark couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Hesitantly he asked, “Is this...Is this for me?”

The crowd cheered ‘yes’ and Mark smiled widely. With sincerity he said, “Thank you, wow. Just... wow. I don’t even know what to say right now. You guys really did this for me?”

The fans that he could see in the front were laughing and nodding to him with proud smiles on their faces. 

Mark leaned on the mic stand with two hands and took a breath before saying, “I was going to introduce this song by saying how thankful I am for all the support you guys have given me, for coming out, for having a boyfriend, for being overly affectionate with said boyfriend---” He laughed at himself and the fans laughed with him. “---But this is incredible. This is exactly the type of thing I was going to thank you for. I mean you must have organized this amongst yourselves, right? You took the time to do this for me. And that…”

He felt the familiar tingle in his eyes and knew they were getting glossy. Mark looked up, trying to keep the tears in his eyes and off his cheeks, “Fuck, I’m trying not to cry but---” The audience cooed at him and the corners of his lips turned up. “---But I am beyond thankful, really.”

Mark laughed again as he realized, “Well, judging by what I’m seeing most of you know this next song. But for those who don’t know: I wrote this song for the love of my life and to remind myself that when times get tough, he’ll always be there besides me.”

He strummed a note on his bass and the rest of the band followed. 

It felt weird looking to his left and not seeing Jinyoung there, but Mark knew in less than a week that he would be and that was enough for him. 

 

The first few days of tour passed in a rush. Mark fumbled through soundcheck a bit with the new songs and it felt like his whole life was being spent on an airplane. Since the first two shows were back to back, Mark and the band had to get on a plane as soon as they walked off stage. He internally cursed Megan for having the first and second show across the country from one another. 

The band was back to sharing rooms again until Jinyoung got there. Jackson took one for the team and roomed with Yugyeom so that the awkwardness didn’t get worse between the two exes. On past tours, the room situation was always Jackson and Mark in one room and Yugyeom and Bambam in another. But that definitely wasn’t going to happen this time. 

Mark decided to room with Bambam half because their sleeping schedule aligned better than his and Yugyeom’s and half to keep an eye on Bambam. Their guitarist was doing exactly what they all expected of him: pretending like nothing was wrong and it was a little suspicious to say the least. 

It had been a while since they had all been in one room together for an extended period of time and so the first time backstage before the show was awkward to say the least. They sat on the couches for all of 20 minutes before Jackson asked Yugyeom if he wanted to go to Starbucks. The singer happily obliged, leaving Bambam and Mark on their phones for the rest of the afternoon. No one questioned why they were gone for so long. 

Something similar to that happened at the next few shows too. Either Mark or Jackson would notice the uncomfortable air between them and suggest grabbing lunch or filming for their documentary somewhere in town. It always ended in splitting up Yugyeom and Bambam. The latter seemed completely unbothered by this. So much so that when Mark said they should go try this famous burger place in town, Bambam invited himself along. Yugyeom gave Mark a panicked look but because no one could think up a good excuse to say no, they all ended up going together. 

Yugyeom stuck to Mark like glue and when they started filming themselves, they all pretended to be as happy as could be. And for a second there, it seemed like everything really was all fine and fun. Jackson was making jokes left and right, Mark and Bambam were play bickering and Yugyeom was his usual clumsy self. 

It was all fine until Bambam talked directly to Yugyeom. Before, they had gotten away with including each other in their words but not actually addressing each other. So when Bambam said, “Hey Yugyeom, can you hand me the ketchup?” the singer just about froze in place.

His emotions were written all over his face and they were too real to be used in the documentary so Jackson called out, “I love sucking dick!”

It was their fallsafe that they all decided on. Obviously everyone knew that Mark liked men but it was a secret that the others did too. And the band didn’t get a choice on what parts filmed actually ended up in the tour documentary so their only way of controlling the content was to blurt out obscenities or to talk about things that would ruin their image to make sure it would be eventually edited out.

So while Mark watched Yugyeom have his mini freak out as he shakily handed Bambam the ketchup, Jackson went off on how much he loved dick. Mark saw Bambam’s facade crack as their fingers accidentally touched and Yugyeom rescinded his arm as if he’d been burned. There was a flicker of something real that Mark couldn’t decipher. It almost looked like pain. 

Yugyeom looked down at his burger and didn’t talk much for the rest of the meal. Mark tried to pretend he didn’t see anything for the sake of filming. 

It went on like that still. Jackson and Mark tried to get everyone together instead of keeping them apart in attempts to get everything back to normal. Mark thought they were making progress as Yugyeom didn’t jump every time Bambam spoke and even made a couple jokes without stuttering through the punchline with Bambam looking at him. 

One night after the show, Mark and Yugyeom went to the roof of the hotel. It was supposed to be a blood moon that night but Jackson was too tired and Bambam didn’t care enough to go. Which was probably good, because Mark just wanted to relax and enjoy the night sky.

And that’s how it started. Just the two of them discussing the past few shows, making jokes about their mess ups on stage and laughing lightly together. But as the two gazed up at the moon, Mark heard Yugyeom quietly say, “I hate this.”

And Yugyeom didn’t have to explain for Mark to know what he was talking about. 

“You and Jackson are trying so hard and I can’t even talk to him without freaking out,” Yugyeom disclosed. “I just want it to be fine between us but I know I’m the one making it weird.”

Mark heard the pain in Yugyeom’s voice and frowned, “It’s okay, breakups are hard. No one expected you to be fine right off the bat. We’re all trying to figure this out, it’s not your fault.”

Yugyeom was looking down at his hands as he said, “Do you...do you think that we’d still be together if I never told him I loved him?”

It wasn’t a question Mark had been expecting. He took a second to think it over before saying, “Maybe.”

The answer sounded dumb the second it was spoken but Mark truly didn’t know the answer. Maybe Bambam would have found another reason to break up, maybe Yugyeom would still be walking on eggshells around him. It was hard to say.

He heard Yugyeom sigh and saw him look up at the sky with watery eyes. “I should have just waited until he was ready. I shouldn’t have pushed him.”

“But what if he never would have been ready? Isn’t it better to break up now than to have him lead you on?” Mark tried. He wanted to lessen Yugyeom’s pain but he didn’t know how to. 

“I don’t know, maybe,” Yugyeom shrugged carelessly. “But at least we’d still be together.”

Mark didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t. He let the moment pass and Yugyeom continued with, “At least it wouldn’t be this awkward between us. We’re supposed to be filming this tour and showing everyone how close we all are and how much we love one another and yet Jackson has to cover for me just because Bambam says my name? That’s so pathetic.” 

The strain in his voice was more evident and Mark scooted closer to lean his head on Yugyeom’s shoulder. He rubbed his cheek on Yugyeom as an attempt at comfort and looped their arms together, “It’s not pathetic.”

“It just hurts to even look at him, you know? All of the affection is gone from his eyes. He looks at me like he doesn’t even know me. It would be better if he looked at me like he hated me, at least then there’d be an emotion,” Yugyeom sighed. 

“It’s like all our time together never happened. When I see nothing in those eyes it makes me question if I ever had his heart to begin with. I was so sure he was in love with me. I lasted longer than all the guys before me, but what if he just kept me around because I was convenient? Because I was one door away?”

The pain in Yugyeom’s voice hurt even from where Mark was sitting. “I don’t know, Gyeom. I wish I did. But you know how he is, he locks everything up and throws away the key.”

Yugyeom laughed with no amusement, “It was stupid of me to think that I found that key, that I had broken down any walls at all.”

“Don’t say that,” Mark said. “You meant something to him. I know you did. He doesn’t run from things he isn’t scared of.”

“At this point I don’t even know what I’m hoping for,” Yugyeom confessed. “If I never meant anything to him then I would just have to get over my feelings and move on. But if he’s just scared, then that’s some sort of hope. And holding onto that hope hurts so badly.”

Mark tightened his arm around Yugyeom’s and said, “Everything will be okay in the end. It might take a while but I know you can get through it.”

 

A couple nights later, Mark left Jackson and Yugyeom in the elevator to go find his room with Bambam. It was past midnight and Mark half expected the guitarist to be asleep. Bambam was known to be a night owl but he also rejected the proposal of going to the movies with the others, so Mark thought Bambam might have needed an early night in. 

So he fully expected to quietly slip into their shared room, take his clothes off in the dark and slide under the covers without a sound. As he walked down the hallway of the hotel, Mark counted down the numbers on the door and looked up to see a guy leaving a room up ahead. The man wore a blissed out smirk and his clothes didn’t look like they were put on quite right. Mark paid him no mind until he saw that the closing door was his.

His brows furrowed as he pushed open the door, trying to stop himself from skipping to the worst conclusion. But then Mark saw Bambam pass by him naked.

The guitarist had a few red marks below his collar bones and as Bambam’s eyes slid over to notice Mark’s presence, he jumped. Mark watched with building anger as Bambam’s eyes widened and he clutched his chest in relief. 

“Holy shit, you scared me,” Bambam said. “I thought that guy was coming back for seconds.”

Mark didn’t reply, he just kept his hardened eyes on his best friend. Bambam gave him a weird look as he headed to the bathroom. “What’s up with you? Don’t tell me you and Jacks are already fighting. It’s been like a week since the tour started.”

But Mark didn’t say anything again, his eyes following Bambam. Mark tried to gather his thoughts enough to not blow up on his first word. 

Noticing the silence, Bambam asked again with an awkward smile, “What?”

“What do you mean what?” Mark said, his voice giving away his emotions earlier than he would have liked.

Bambam raised his eyebrow and said plainly, “What do you mean what? Relax, we didn’t do anything in your bed. I’m not Jackson.”

His attempt to lighten the mood didn’t go over well, nor did Bambam’s awkward laugh afterwards. Mark’s anger only grew, “Please tell me you’re not dumb enough to not know how fucked up it is to be sleeping with other guys on tour.”

With rolled eyes, Bambam said lightly, “Your use of ‘other guys’ implies that I’m supposed to be sleeping with one specific guy and as you know I’m very much single.”

“Yeah, and as you know, you’re only single because you broke my best friend’s heart,” Mark replied coolly. He was trying his hardest to not raise his voice. Mark couldn’t believe Bambam was pretending him and Yugyeom weren’t a thing.

There was a flicker of something in Bambam’s eyes before his expression turned placid. Sighing loudly, Bambam turned to face Mark with crossed arms, “Look, I had to break up with him. It was what was best for both of us. And aren’t you my best friend too? I have needs and wants, don’t I? Shouldn’t you be happy I’m having them met?”

“Not when I know that it would break Yugyeom’s heart even more if he found out,” Mark scoffed, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom. Bambam was stuck in there, unable to move past Mark comfortably.

The use of Yugyeom’s name hit a sore spot for Bambam, who flinched. The guitarist lowered his eyes and said with empty emotion, “Well what happens to Yugyeom is not my concern anymore.”

That was the last straw for Mark. Subtly hurting Yugyeom? Fine, whatever. People get hurt in breakups, sure. But blatantly being reckless with Yugyeom’s feelings? Not okay. 

“How the fuck can you say that, Bam?” Mark erupted. “After how hard Yugyeom has been trying to keep his shit together? To pretend like you didn’t rip his heart to shreds?”

Bambam’s mouth gaped, clearly not expecting Mark’s level of emotion.

“And you know he didn’t just fall out of love with you!” Mark threw his hands up, letting out his true feelings as if they were fire on his tongue. “What if it was Yugyeom who saw that guy and not me? Yugyeom’s not your concern anymore? Are you fucking shitting me?” 

But Bambam wasn’t one to just take a beating. He coiled like a snake stuck in a corner, “You have no idea how hard this has been on me! You don’t have to see the sad puppy eyes he gives me when he thinks I’m not paying attention. It’s been killing me!”

Mark’s eyes widened with disbelief, “Oh it’s been killing you? Give me a fucking break, Bam. You’re the one who left a guy who was head over heels for you. You don’t get to play the victim.”

“You don’t understand!” Bambam replied as if he was begging Mark to see his side.

“Yeah? And who’s fault is that?” Mark said and then immediately regretted it. Bambam kept his feelings to himself for a reason. The fact that Bambam was opening up to him at all about this was a blessing. Mark had fair right to attack his friend on his misbehaviors concerning Yugyeom, but it was kind of crossing a line to be attacking Bambam personally. 

He saw the way Bambam’s eyes widened and Mark said in a softer tone, “Sorry, it’s just… You don’t tell anyone anything. How are we supposed to understand when you shut everyone out all the time?”

Bambam’s eyes flickered away, “It was just too much.”

“Why didn’t you tell him that?” Mark said, stepping closer to lean against the same counter as Bambam. 

“I did!” Bambam exclaimed. But after a second he sighed and shut his eyes, “I mean, I tried to. But he just...he just wouldn’t listen. Every step back was two steps forward with him. It was moving too fast, I felt like I was on a bullet train to honeymoon paradise and I… I wasn’t ready for that.”

This was where Mark’s understanding waned. Jackson and Bambam were both known to be hesitant about committed relationships and it troubled Mark. Ever since Jinyoung came into his life, Mark suddenly couldn’t see why anyone would be scared of a long term relationship. Maybe he could three years ago, maybe even a year ago, but now he certainly couldn’t. 

“But you seemed so happy together,” Mark commented.

He saw Bambam’s fingers clench around the lip of the sink. With a sigh, Bambam replied, “We were.”

Mark titled his head and spoke with a delicate tone, “Then what was the problem?”

He saw a sad smile tug at Bambam’s lips and then Bambam said, “You wouldn’t understand.”

“No, I probably wouldn’t,” Mark replied honestly. “But try me. Get me to understand.”

With a defeated sigh, Bambam said, “You know I don’t trust easily. This gets me in trouble with people all the time, they say I’m selfish and uncaring. You know this.” 

Mark nodded, he did. He spent a fair amount of time over the years defending his best friend.

“But you also know that I trust the three of you more than anyone else,” Bambam continued. “You’ve become my family and have been there for me when my blood related one wasn’t. I’ve been burned a lot and honestly I never really saw myself settling down with someone. I thought me and Jackson were going to be single until the day we die. But then of course Jaebum happened.”

A small smile stretched across Bambam’s lips. Mark let a frown settle into his. He knew Bambam’s past. He knew that his family all but disowned him. It had been a snowball effect, first with majoring in the arts instead of an upstanding, respectable line of work like pre-law or business. Then with dropping out of school to be in a rock band. And then with finding out that their only son was gay. It had been too much for Bambam’s conservative family. Bambam had been on his own for years now, hopping from the Wangs to the Kims to the Tuans for holidays instead of going home. 

Bambam took great pride in who he was, but a large piece of his heart had been scorched from the lack of support from his own family. And then on top of that, one of Bambam’s first boyfriends tried to use him for fame and Bambam was too naive to notice until it was too late. He closed himself off to pretty much everyone but the three other members of Ruby Atlas after that. 

“Watching you fall in love was enough, I thought. You’re so happy now and you deserve to be. But then Jackson fell in love too and I started to get worried,” Bambam said, chewing on his bottom lip. “What if you all… I mean what if Yugyeom too… and I was just left alone?”

Mark’s eyes widened and his heart lurched. Was this what Bambam had been worried about from the beginning? Are these the worries that he had been hiding? Mark couldn’t stand his best friend thinking such a thing so in a serious voice, Mark stated, “We would never leave you behind, Bammie. Never.”

“I know,” Bambam said, his eyes flitting down. “I do, really. But I still got scared. So maybe it was selfish of me, but I knew that Yugyeom still liked me and to keep him from falling in love with someone else and being taken away from me too, I decided to finally make a pass at him. Just to keep him interested, you know? Fuck, this sounds horrible.”

And it did. Mark’s blood boiled a little but he tried to keep an open mind.

“But then I liked being with him so much. I could see how you and Jackson fell in love so easily,” Bambam said and Mark raised an eyebrow. He wouldn’t really call Jackson and Jaebum’s relationship easy. The beginning was turbulent at best. It took a lot of personal growth for Jackson to even consider calling Jaebum his boyfriend, nonetheless acknowledging the seriousness of their relationship. 

“And at first I thought I could do it, just maybe at a slower pace. But then I saw how fast Yugyeom was falling. How every word, every action, fuck even every look started to have meaning. Things weren’t as light and carefree anymore. I felt heavy, like I was drowning in the beauty and kindness that is Kim Yugyeom.”

Mark watched with steady eyes and a hopeful heart as he saw a smile, a real smile bloom over Bambam’s lips. 

“And I knew I had to end it,” Mark’s face fell.

“I couldn’t risk it, Mark,” Bambam said. His eyes were pleading with Mark to understand. “What if Yugyeom ended up hating me? What if we got caught and fans turned against us? One gay member might be okay but three? I mean Yugyeom and Jacks aren’t gay but like whatever, you get it. What if that’s too many? This band is all I have, Mark. I can’t risk losing it. I can’t risk his or any of your friendships. I did what I had to do in hopes of keeping everything together in the long run.”

And that made sense to Mark. He saw it now. Bambam always put up a tough face, a large wall and a moat with a dragon surrounding him at all times. All because he was scared.

Mark did the only thing he could think of and just hugged Bambam. Mark felt his friend’s arms pull around him and said, “You can’t let fear dictate your life like this, Bammie. You deserve to be happy too.”

“It’s just too much,” Bambam whispered.

Mark realized that Bambam was still technically naked and smelt like some other guy’s sweat so he let go but said, “Have you told Yugyeom any of this?”

Bambam shook his head.

“I’m sure it would make him feel better if he knew,” Mark lightly suggested. After his and Yugyeom’s talk the other night, he was certain it would be good for Yugyeom to hear.

His best friend looked down, “But what if it just made him mad? Or worse, what if he wanted to get back together?”

Mark smiled, “How is that worse? And you know he’d try his very best to be understanding.”

“Well just because he’d know why I broke up with him, doesn’t make anything I said untrue,” Bambam stated. “Those issues wouldn’t go away.”

“Maybe not, but neither would he,” Mark tried to convince him. “He loves you. While the romantic love might be new to him, you’re still his best friend. Yugyeom wouldn’t want to leave you anymore than the rest of us.”

“I don’t know,” Bambam replied. He looked unsure but that was progress at least. Bambam seemed certain before, his mind made up. Mark took pride in knowing that he created a crack in Bambam’s thoughts. He hoped that his best friend would eventually come around, but Mark also knew that these things didn’t usually change over night. 

“Just think about it, okay?” Mark asked as he backed away. “You can shower now, I’ll leave you alone. I have to get my beauty sleep for Jinyoung tomorrow anyways.”

Bambam rolled his eyes, probably happy with the subject change, “Can you be any less whipped?”

“Me?” Mark scoffed dramatically. “As if, Jinyoung is the one who’s whipped.”

He saw a grin flash across Bambam’s face and grinned back before taking a turn towards his bed. 

 

Mark had Zack drive to a florist before the airport. The band arrived to the city the night before, giving them a little free time in between shows. It wasn’t an exciting city, but Mark was thankful for the time off. Flying almost everyday wasn’t his most favorite thing in the world, but it also beat spending his every waking moment on a tour bus. 

He sat in the passenger seat as Zack pulled up to the airport. In his hands were a bouquet of roses that he kept sniffing. The petals were soft and delicate, like velvet to the touch. Mark knew that maybe this was a little overboard for not seeing his boyfriend for a week but he thought Jinyoung would appreciate the gesture.

He got out of the car and walked past the doors to the airport, following signs to the right area. Mark didn’t want to ask Jinyoung what terminal he’d be at because Jinyoung didn’t actually know that Mark would be there at all. They even talked about which hotel they were staying at and whether or not Jinyoung should go to the hotel to drop off his stuff or straight to the venue to meet Mark. 

Mark wanted this to be a surprise so he sneakily found out Jinyoung’s flight details from Alex and tracked his boyfriend’s flight himself. This earned him a few eye roll emojis from Alex, who found Jinyoung and Mark’s want to constantly surprise each other ridiculous. 

Either way, Mark found the doors where Jinyoung would soon pop out of and stopped a little ways back, roses in hand. He checked his phone and saw that his boyfriend’s flight landed ten minutes ago. Mark was right on time. 

As he stood there in place, Mark realized he was drawing curious onlookers. He might have been just drawing attention to himself by standing with a bouquet right where all arrivals could see him, but then he started getting recognized. The passersby would do a double take and some even fully stopped and turned around to see if it was really him. 

In the past, Mark only ever expected teenage girls to do this as that was the demographic of most of his fans. However, once he was linked to Jinyoung, Mark became recognized by people of all generations. He wasn’t sure if this was because his relationship was covered by a lot of media or because Jinyoung was famous enough that word got around. 

Either way, they were looking at him, some even taking pictures. Everyone kept their distance, which Mark was a little surprised about. While Mark was more than used to his privacy not being respected, he was glad that no one had come up to him yet. They seemed to understand what was going on, which he was thankful for. The last thing Mark wanted was to be posing for a picture when Jinyoung came out, risking his boyfriend not seeing him.

As he listened to the not-so-distant chatter of bystanding fans, Mark checked the time on his phone and for the first time in a while wished he had a watch. He wondered if he should have gotten himself one to match the watch he had secretly bought Jinyoung for their anniversary. He had felt bad for teasing a watch for christmas and not actually delivering, so Mark ended up buying Jinyoung one anyways. But Mark didn’t really wear any accessories except for the bracelet Jinyoung gave him for his birthday, so would he even wear a watch if he bought himself one?

As he slid his phone back into his pocket, Mark glanced down at his wrist with lingering wonder before looking back up. Only a couple of seconds went by before a new wave of people were flooding through the doors. Mark’s eyes darted from person to person, trying to find familiar black hair. It took a moment or two before Mark locked in on a pair of eyes that hadn’t met his yet.

He felt a smile blooming across his lips and Mark’s heart beat faster in his chest. It had only been about a week away from each other, or 8 days and 6 hours but who was counting? Definitely not Mark. But while this time apart would seem considerably shorter than their previous times apart, it suddenly felt too long as Jinyoung saw him.

Mark saw Jinyoung’s whole demeanor change the second he noticed Mark. He saw the way his pupils widened and eyes creased, the way Jinyoung’s shoulders relaxed and how he instinctually smiled. Mark missed that smile so much. He missed the little lines that appeared near his boyfriend’s eyes, the quality on his phone through facetime didn’t do them justice. 

Mark couldn’t help but grin giddily with how surprised Jinyoung looked as he walked over. There was no time between hearing, “Baby, what are you doing here?” and a pair of warm lips meeting his. It felt like Mark finally exhaled a breath he had been holding. He missed Jinyoung so much more than he let himself believe.

“I’m picking you up,” Mark smiled before kissing Jinyoung again. He had his boyfriend in front of him again, he wasn’t about to miss the opportunity of getting kissed. 

He felt Jinyoung smiling into his lips and as they broke apart, Jinyoung laughed, “I see that, I thought we were meeting at the venue?”

Shaking his head, Mark replied, “That would have taken too long and I missed you and I wanted to surprise you and also I got you flowers.”

Having Jinyoung there in the flesh, smiling down at him and radiating warmth was making Mark feel a little lightheaded. Hearing Jinyoung’s soft laughter had Mark’s heart fluttering. He felt like he was floating, a smile permanently engraved in his features. 

After handing Jinyoung the flowers, his boyfriend took them with soft eyes. 

“You bought me flowers?” Jinyoung’s voice was even softer than his expression, it made Mark’s heart sing.

“Mhm,” Mark hummed, his eyes bright as he watched Jinyoung sniff them. “Do you like them?”

“I like anything you give me,” Jinyoung said, glancing up from the roses and looking into Mark’s eyes. The gaze shot through his heart and made Mark’s spine tingle. How could one man be so ethereal? “These are really nice, thank you baby.”

And Mark got another kiss. This time, he felt tongue slide across his lip and grinned as Jinyoung pulled away. For the 87th time since Jinyoung appeared in front of him, Mark thought I missed you so fucking much. But apparently he said it out loud because Jinyoung smiled tenderly and said, “I missed you too.”

That lightheaded feeling came back and Mark was just so thankful to love and be loved like this. After a second too long of taking in his boyfriend’s beauty, Mark suggested, “Shall we go?”

His boyfriend nodded and they started walking, but not before Mark took the handle of Jinyoung’s suitcase into his own hand. Jinyoung tried to stop him as he said, “Baby no, you don’t have to do that.”

But Mark wasn’t having it. He shook his head defiantly and said, “I want to.” After a second Mark smiled and said, “Plus, I’m probably going to wear most of what’s in here so it’s basically my luggage anyways.”

Jinyoung’s smile grew to match Mark’s as they walked. Mark held Jinyoung’s arm and leaned his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder, “Did I say how much I missed you?”

He felt Jinyoung’s laugh and then a soft kiss to his hair, “Yes, love. I missed you more.”

Smiling, Mark dropped his hand and placed it in Jinyoung’s, intertwining their fingers. He pulled Jinyoung through the crowd of people that had amounted and towards the door where Zack was still waiting with the car. He knew that videos of their interaction were probably going to end up online but Mark didn’t care, he wasn’t thinking about it. Instead all he could think about was Jinyoung. 

 

“So are we going back to the hotel?” Jinyoung asked as they left the airport. 

Mark already made a place for himself by Jinyoung’s side by leaning his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder, not caring that he had to sit in the middle seat to do this. Mark was aware he was being a little clingy, but he felt like he was allowed to be and Jinyoung didn’t seem to mind. 

Shaking his head, Mark replied, “Nope, Zack can put your things in our room. We’re going to the venue to meet the guys before grabbing dinner.”

Jinyoung looked surprised and he made eye contact with Zack through the rear view mirror, “Oh you don’t have to do that--”

On his shoulder Mark was already shaking his head as Zack shrugged, “It’s not a big deal, you’re a part of the tour now so…”

His boyfriend seemed unsatisfied with that answer, so Mark commented, “Our luggage will become interchangeable in a few days, don’t worry.”

 

When they arrived, Mark brought him through backstage. He could tell that Jinyoung looked a little out of his element so he tried to give him a mini tour. Almost all arenas looked the same backstage and so it wasn’t hard to explain where everything was, especially with all the signs the venue put up for them like “STAGE” with lots of arrows following it. 

Finally, they found the dressing room. As soon as Mark pushed through the door, he heard a loud groan from Jackson and grinned, “Is Bam still kicking your ass?”

“As always,” Bambam replied smugly as he reached for a redvine from the coffee table. His grin was wide as he set his controller down to split the piece of candy. 

“Yeah whatever, I’m definitely winning next round,” Jackson huffed as he skipped the exit screens to hastily start the next game. Mark saw Bambam’s disbelieving face and laughed.

From the other couch, Yugyeom offered a controller, “Do you want next round? I need a break from constantly getting cheated of first place.”

“Hey!” Bambam called instinctually. “Just because I keep getting blue shells doesn’t mean I’m cheating, okay? It’s totally fair.”

Yugyeom said nothing but flashed his eyes at Mark as if to say please help I’m dying here so Mark took the controller and handed it to Jinyoung, “Do you play?”

The two of them sat down on the same couch as Jackson and Bambam, Mark sitting a little too close again. Jinyoung laughed sarcastically, “Do I play? Babe, who doesn’t play mario kart?”

With a big, mischievous smile, Mark replied, “Okay but are you any good?”

Jinyoung took the controller from him and his eyes slid over to meet Mark’s as if he was challenging him, “You should ask Jaebum.”

Overhearing their conversation, Jackson jumped in, “Wait you played with my boyfriend? Is he good or bad? Please say bad.”

As Mark picked up the unused forth controller, Jinyoung said, “I wouldn’t say he’s bad, persay.”

“Just not as good as you?” Mark flirted, his eyes glinting at his boyfriend. 

Jinyoung leaned in and flashed his eyes, “Maybe.”

Mark could feel his boyfriend’s breath on his skin and felt his spine tingle. He was seconds away from kissing Jinyoung when he was interrupted with, “Hey you can suck face later, the game is starting!”

Mark rolled his eyes at Bambam and focused his eyes back on the screen in front of him. 

Unsurprisingly, Bambam won. But like Yugyeom was saying, he only did by throwing a shell at Jinyoung right before he hit the finish line. Jackson came in last as always and Mark was steadily on Jinyoung’s tail the whole time. 

As soon as the game finished, Mark looked over to his boyfriend and said, “So maybe you are good.”

With a smirk, Jinyoung replied, “Maybe I am.”

He couldn’t stop himself from leaning in and saying, “Yeah, maybe you are.”

This time their lips touched before someone interrupted them with, “Oh my god, the sexual tension is real.”

Mark rolled his eyes but went in for another kiss, which Jinyoung quickly responded to. Once he felt hands surrounding his waist, Mark might have leaned in a little far and found himself half in Jinyoung’s lap.

Behind him he heard Jackson complain, “One week without dick and Mark’s already like this, damn.”

“Yeah and you’re going how long without it? A month?” Bambam said playfully, knowing damn well he wasn’t going without at all.

Mark could hear the way Jackson rolled his eyes as he huffed, “Try almost two.”

Across the room, Bambam hissed, “Fuck that sucks.”

“Hey get me an apple while you’re up,” Jackson called and Bambam replied with a soft noise of confirmation. 

Meanwhile, Mark had made it completely into Jinyoung’s lap and his fingers were tangled in his boyfriend’s hair. He felt Jinyoung’s hand travel up his back, exposing his skin to the cold air. As Mark found himself grinding down on his boyfriend’s lap, Jackson pushed him with a groan, “Oh my god I look away for two seconds and you’re already humping him, fuck my life.”

Rolling his eyes again, Mark tried to ignore his best friend but Jackson pulled him off. Mark made and annoyed sound and Jinyoung wiped his mouth with the back of his hand smugly.

“What did we say about sex in the dressing room?” Jackson said using his mom voice.

Mark felt like a teenager all over again as he scoffed, “We were just kissing!”

“If that was just kissing, then I think we’re all going to go blind from scratching our eyes out this tour,” Bambam said airily, tossing Jackson the apple before sitting where Yugyeom used to be. 

“You’re just jealous,” Mark replied without thinking. But Bambam was quick to laugh and say, “No, I’m really not.”

The air turned thick fast as Jinyoung raised his eyebrow and Jackson pretended to become really interested in his phone. Mark gulped down a few things he could have said in favor of not starting a fight and instead said, “Alright well let’s play another game, I guess.”

“Or we could repeat those ground rules again,” Jackson said with a smile. 

Sighing because Mark didn’t want to be reminded of rules he was sure of breaking, Mark replied, “Fine.”

“Ground rules?” Jinyoung questioned, putting an arm behind Mark’s shoulders.

“They don’t want to see us fuck,” Mark supplied, leaning back into his boyfriend.

He could see Jinyoung’s amused smile as he said, “Can’t say I’m surprised.”

“Just because you’re getting an exhibitonist streak doesn’t mean we’re suddenly all into voyeurism,” Jackson said pointedly and Mark felt Jinyoung laugh next to him.

“Wait, they know?” His boyfriend sounded surprised upon asking and Mark found his cheeks a little warmer.

Across the room, Bambam said, “Mark tells us everything. A little too much, if you ask me.”

“Good thing no one’s asking you,” Mark bit back playfully.

“Ohhhh,” Jackson yelled with a big smile. “Honestly, I wish Mark would give me more details. All we know is that you have a nice body and a big dick.”

Mark’s cheeks suddenly felt a lot hotter, “Jackson, holy shit shut up!”

Jinyoung only smiled smugly at the exchange until Jackson exaggeratedly said, “Alright fine, we know a little more than that. Apparently you’re also good with your tongue but Mark won’t tell me if you’re as veiny as Jaebum, which I don’t get why but---”

“Why in the world would you need to know that?” Bambam stepped in this time and Mark’s eyes got big at Jackson as if to say see?!

“Exactly! And how am I supposed to know how veiny Jaebum is in comparison?” Mark replied, but immediately regretted his words as Jackson started to pull his phone out of his pocket.

“Well all you had to do was ask my friend, I have a lot of pictures of his dick let me find a good one,” Jackson rattled off as he started scrolling. 

“Oh god no,” Bambam groaned. “Now you’ve opened pandora’s box…”

Jinyoung had been silently observing this whole conversation with an amused smile, so when Mark leaned into him in anguish, Jinyoung asked, “Do you have a lot of mine too?”

Clearly not expecting the question, Mark blinked his eyes a couple of times, his pupils wide. “Do you send me enough for me to have a lot?”

“I’m supposed to send them to you?” Jinyoung asked, his voice teasing. 

Narrowing his eyes in confusion, Mark replied, “How else would I have them?”

“Love, are you currently aware of how many photos of you naked I have on my phone right now?” Jinyoung coyily asked, one of his eyebrows raised. “Because if my phone ever got lost, the person who found it would probably mistake you for an amature porn star.”

Mark’s voice got stuck in his throat and Jinyoung must have thought that his expression was rather funny as his eyes twinkled mischievously. He didn’t ever get to say what he was trying to say because Mark’s sight was assaulted with a photo of Jaebum’s dick.

“See what I mean?” Jackson asked, either not sensing the vibe of the conversation he interrupted or not caring. “I’ve seen a lot of dicks in my life but Jaebum’s is definitely in my top five. I swear I drooled when I first saw it and dropped straight to my knees.”

“Jackson, you were probably already on your knees,” Jinyoung joked without missing a beat and both Mark and Jackson’s jaws dropped, not expecting such a comment from him.

Reading their expressions, Jinyoung supplied as if he saw nothing wrong with it, “What? Jaebum tells me a lot too.”

Perking up from that statement, Jackson asked, “What does he say about me? Does he say I have a nice ass? What about my mouth? Is it all good things? Wait no don’t tell if it isn’t.”

Mark felt sandwiched between his eager best friend and his entertained boyfriend, glancing back and forth between them. Jinyoung grinned, “All good things, I assure you.”

For once, Mark was glad to be interrupted by Bambam as the guitarist said, “Oh my fuck, can we just go get dinner already? I’m starving here.”

“Yeah I bet all this talk about dick made you hungry,” Mark found himself retorting and both Jackson and Jinyoung laughed. 

“Whatever, at least I’m not as thirsty as you guys,” Bambam rolled his eyes.

 

The next morning, Mark found himself surrounded by warmth. Jinyoung had cuddled up to him more than usual the night before and now Mark was being held as close as possible to Jinyoung. He felt like a teddy bear in his boyfriend’s arms.

As he opened his eyes, he found that Jinyoung was already awake. 

“Goodmorning, baby,” The roughness of Jinyoung’s morning voice sounded like the crackling of a wood in a fireplace, warm and comforting.

Mark moved to bring a hand up to rub at his eye and felt his cheek getting kissed in the process. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling, “Goodmorning, did you miss waking up to me?”

“Don’t sound so sure of yourself, maybe I just really like waking up in a hotel,” Jinyoung replied, his voice only holding soft affection within it. 

Draping himself over his boyfriend’s chest, Mark lifted his chin up on the palm of his hand. His lips were only a couple inches away from Jinyoung’s as he said, “Well that makes one of us.”

Not buying into Mark’s cool exterior, Jinyoung rolled his eyes, “You act like you didn’t call me every night to tell me how lonely the bed felt without me.”

“Maybe I was lying,” Mark said with an air of aloofness but the corners of his lips turned up broke the illusion he had been trying to create.

“Or maybe you’re just head over heels for me and can’t take a second without me,” Jinyoung grinned, carding his hand through Mark’s hair delicately.

“That can’t possibly be it,” Mark replied teasingly as he leaned down to almost connect their lips.

He could feel the warmth of Jinyoung’s breath as he said, “No, definitely not.” 

Mark felt himself smiling as he inched forward and tasted his boyfriend’s lips for what felt like the first time in forever. He stretched the kiss out for a little longer than even he expected, but Mark just wanted to take his time. He had Jinyoung in front of him and Mark had full intention of making that last.

Once Mark finally let the kiss break, Jinyoung said, “That sure didn’t feel like you missed me.”

“Because I didn’t,” He replied, dipping his head back down for another soft, lingering kiss. When he came up for air, Mark said, “I have no reason to miss you because I know I’ll always have you.”

The sentiment resonated in Jinyoung’s eyes, meeting his with sweet longing. “I love you more every day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright loves, I know it wasn't as markjin centric as I wanted but I hope you still liked it. I promise the next chapter will have a lotttt more markjin 
> 
> let me know if you enjoyed this chapter ♡

**Author's Note:**

> my twitter is @peachjinyounq if you wanna hit me up ♡♡


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